Daughter Of The Duelist Legend (CONT)
by lcoro528
Summary: Due to an unexplained logout, I will now continue this story with this account. I made one earlier with a different account, lethalty60. If you want to know from the beginning and the journey to be started, check my other account and you'll see.
1. Monsters And Dice

My last Season 1 duel. I'm skipping right to an attack that would wipe out Joey's Life Points, making him lose the match. Enjoy!

With Duke Devlin down to 50 Life Points, and with Goblin Attack Force in Defense Mode after an attack on Duke's Spike Lord, Joey's very confident of destroying him! "Get ready to close shop, Duke. No card can save you now!"

Duke just kept his calm and drew his next card. "It doesn't matter with you, Wheeler, because I summon the mighty Gradius!" He placed it down in Attack Mode and a ship appeared. (ATK/DEF Points: 1200/800.)

"That won't save you, Duke." Joey said. "Because my Goblin Force can wipe it out with the last 50 Life Points you got."

"Not unless I play this card!" Duke revealed a Magic Card. "Limiter Removal! It'll double the Attack Points of my Gradius!" His ship got twice as big! (New ATK Points: 2400.)

"That's huge!" Joey exclaimed. "Thankfully my Goblins are in Defense Mode with my Life Points safe."

"They won't be safe for long, Wheeler!" Duke placed down one more card. "I'll play this card: Fairy Meteor Crush!" Joey was shocked to see it, but asked what it does. "I'm surprised you don't know what it does! Remember Mad Sword Beast and his ability? It's a Magic version."

"Mad Sword Beast," Joey said quietly, then it clicked on what it does. "WHAT?! But that means-"

"Yes!" Duke said. "It allows one of my monsters to deal piercing damage whenever it inflicts an attack on a Defense position monster! I was getting bored of this match, but what excites me is that you'll become my week-long servant! GRADIUS, ANNIHILATE!"

Gradius charged at the Goblin Force, wiping out each Goblin and exploding when it reached Joey, wiping out his Life Points to zero!

Afterwards, Joey was forced into a dog costume that Duke planned, and Yume got furious as there are red flames in her eyes, because she has red eyes. "THAT'S ENOUGH, DEVLIN!" She suddenly shouted out as she changed to Yami.

"Whoa, Yume!" Duke called out. "What's gotten into you?!"

"Devlin!" Yami called out. "I challenge you to a duel and if I win, Joey gets his freedom! Your cruel stunt ends now!"

"I agree, but we'll play with a game of my choosing. Something I call Dungeon Dice Monsters! And when you lose, your 'Queen of Games' title switches to me as 'King of Games' and you'll give up Duel Monsters and then return from whence you came from!"

Her friends wanted her to reconsider, even Joey piped up, but Duke flicked a dice at him, but Yami caught it. "I accept, Duke! You are not destroying the dignity of a friend! We'll do Dungeon Dice Monsters."

' _Nothing should come across us, Yami!'_ Yume said. _'No matter what happens, we will learn the rules of Dungeon Dice Monsters very quickly and beat Duke at his own game!'_

' _Thank you, Yume. But remember that if we lose, we are heading back to the Shadow Realm! Maybe Duke already knew about this.'_

They both head to their respective sides of the arena that Duke did against Joey. "You've never played Dungeon Dice Monster before, so you'll need to pay attention!" He snapped his finger and the whole field changed!

"I learn quickly, Devlin!"

"You'd better, Yume, because this game is my creation." Yami looked at it and saw it was different than a regular duel, when the Dice Pool opened up and she gasped lightly.

"Already lost? I'll walk you through the basics. The contraption that opened up is the Dice Pool, where you select 15 dice from it to start things off. I'd give you some tips, but since you are a Master Gamer, I'm letting you pick on your own."

 _With the different colors and designs, it'll be hard on which to pick._ Yami picked her 15 carefully. "I'm ready."

"An easier way to put it," he said, "is to think of the dice as your dueling deck. And just like the deck, we shuffle the dice. Like so!" He placed the dice inside a contraption as Yami did the same.

"And when the dice are all mixed up, three random dice will appear. You roll those dice as they are randomly picked. And depending on what you rolled, you can make a move!"

Yami saw three dice pop out. "There's more to learn." Duke said. "I taught you the basics. Next is to take your dice." She did.

"Now I bet you're asking yourself, 'How do we keep score?' Simple, we have something called Heart Points, similar to Life Points, except we get three. If you get hit, one Heart Points empties out. If all three Heart Points go empty, then you lose." Three Heart Points light up for Duke and Yami.

"I'll give you a start on this." He tossed the dice. "Each die has 6 Crests, which are the markings on the dice. Different crests do different things. Star Crests are used for summoning monsters. Two out of three dice has to show a Star Crest during that one roll to be able to summon. And I can be able to summon on this roll!"

He placed it down on the board. "I'll tell you about the dimension process. DIMENSION THE DICE!" A bigger die showed up and split apart, revealing a Ryukishin. (ATK/DEF/LIFE: 10/10/10.)

"Monsters are inside the dice?" Yami called out. "Why, it also seems that the dice themselves are part of it, too!"

"It's one of the key elements to Dungeon Dice Monsters! Whenever a monster is summoned using the dice, it creates a pathway. And a route would need to be constructed to attack your opponent's Heart Points!"

 _The way to go,_ Yami thought, _is to build a path for your monsters to come within striking range against the Heart Points of your opponent! So the more monsters I can get, the closer I can get to him!_

"It's your turn, Yume. And I'm waiting."

"Don't forget that if I win this, Joey becomes a free man."

"You got this, Yume. If anyone can beat Devlin at his own game, it'll be you!" Joey got scolded for talking.

 _Today,_ Duke thought, _I'll expose this cheater and bring her down hard and good!_ Yami tossed her dice, only to see that none have matched. "Because," Duke explained, "their levels are way too high. I guess I forgot to mention the levels of the dice."

"What do you mean, Devlin?"

"There are six different crests on dice: Summon, Movement, Magic, Attack, Defense, and Trap Crests. How often they appear depends on the dice's level. The level 2 I used for the first roll had 3 Summon Crests, easy for me to roll two of them. But the easier to summon them, the weaker they become.

"So, look at the level of your dice and tell me what they are and what you see, Yume."

Yami looked and found a surprise. "I have level 4 with one Summon Crest each."

"Precisely. That makes it more difficult to summon, but the monster would've been powerful if you could've summoned one. And in the early stages of the game, going for low level first thing, so you could get the upper hand. After all, the odds of summoning higher level monsters decreases the chances of summoning it."

' _That's not good, Yume!'_ Yami exclaimed. _'Practically every dice is a high level one! I should've picked some with 2 or 1, but it's almost all 4!'_

' _You can still do this, Yami! I believe in you.'_

"But the problem is, your chances of summoning monsters are at the lowest rate!"

 _This,_ Yami said, _is ridiculous! Not only did the game just start, I made the most terrible mistake of all time._ Tristan and Téa _demand_ for a restart, but Duke said that only the Queen of Games doesn't get one as his dice shows up: Two level 2 dice and a 3. He rolled them, and got two Star Crests on the level 2's.

"DIMENSION THE DICE FOR YARANZO!" (ATK/DEF/LIFE: 10/10/10.) _The path will soon reach my Heart Points if I don't get a summon soon! And I don't have a monster out yet._ "I also got a Movement Crest, which allows my monster to approach you!"

His Yaranzo approached one space closer. "And a heads-up if you have unused Crests," he added. "You have a Crest Pool, which serves for Crests that are to be used later when you need them. And now, it's your turn!"

Yami picked up her dice, but still can't summon. "Try blowing on them for good luck, because now it's my turn!" He picked up his dice and tossed them, able to summon yet again! "DIMENSION THE DICE FOR GATOR DRAGON!" (ATK/DEF/LIFE: 10/10/10.) "And then I'll advance him forward because of a Movement Crest I rolled." Moved one space.

Yami picked up her dice and rolled, getting two Summon Crests, but not the same level. "I'm sure I can play a monster."

Duke just shook his head. "Those two are in different levels, so they can't count." He picked up his dice and rolled, and got two level 4 Summon Crests, one of them black. He activated the black dice and a chest appeared.

"This is an item summon," he explained. "I'll explain more about it later." Yami rolled, but still no summon. "Maybe we should've changed your title to 'Queen of Lame.' I'll be able to beat you before your first monster shows up. I figured you are not the real deal, Yume!" Duke rolled, and can summon yet again for the fifth time!

"DIMENSION THE DICE FOR THIRTEENTH GRAVE!" (ATK/DEF/LIFE: 10/0/10.) _That's why to close for comfort!_ Yami thought. _Just three spots away and I'm finished if he has three Attack Crests!_ Yami picked up the dice.

 _Heart of the dice, don't fail me!_ She tossed the dice, and got two 4-level Summon Crests. "Got them! I can finally Summon!" She placed one down, "DIMENSION THE DICE FOR MIGHTY MAGE!" (ATK/DEF/LIFE: 30/20/50.) "I'll use a Movement Crest to move my mage one space forward."

It happened. "Then I'll use an Attack Crest to cause LIGHTNING STRIKE!" The attack connected, destroying Thirteenth Grave. "Knowing the game and rules could give you the advantage in getting more creatures than me, but I have a monster of my own!"

"Congrats on getting your first one, but four more will tie us up!" Duke tossed his dice, able to summon. "My mistake! Make that five. DIMENSION THE DICE FOR BLAST LIZARD!"

His lizard showed up. (ATK/DEF/LIFE: 10/10/20.) "But don't be fooled because he's low leveled status. When played just right, Blast Lizard has a special attack that packs a surprising punch!"

 _Special attack?_ Yami thought. _Has to be another rule in this Dungeon Dice Monsters! Have to be on guard for it._ Yami tossed her dice, and got two, 2-level Summon Crests. "DIMENSION THE DICE FOR WINGED DRAGON, GUARDIAN OF THE FORTRESS!" (ATK/DEF/LIFE: 10/10/10.) "Now I have two monster, Devlin!"

Duke rolled his dice. He couldn't summon, but that was his plan. "You can't summon on this roll!" Duke just kept smirking.

"I wasn't planning on summoning, Yume. I needed Magic Crests!" She gasped. "Wow, you sure are dense. I played Blast Lizard and said that he has an ability. His special attack requires 4 Magic Crests, and I rolled just enough! First I'm using a Movement Crest to move him in range!"

It happened. "Now for the 4 Magic Crests!" The bombs lighted on fire, then launched at Winged Dragon, destroying it. "Too bad that you worked so hard to summon him." Yami rolled, but got all Attack Crests. Duke rolled his, and he can summon again, this time a 3-level one. "DIMENSION THE DICE FOR DARK ASSAILANT!" (ATK/DEF/LIFE: 10/20/20.)

"Then I'll use my Crest Pool," he added, "and close in on your Heart Points with two Movement Crests." It happened. "But I won't attack, even though they're in striking range. I'll just wait until you come up with something." Duke then came to stands outright that Yume cheated on Pegasus.

Yami tried to reassure him, but Duke didn't listen, saying she cheated for victory!

Yami has no choice but to duel with honesty as she rolled the dice, able to summon a 3-level monster. "DIMENSION THE DICE FOR THUNDERBALL!" (ATK/DEF/LIFE: 10/10/30.) "His stats aren't that big," Duke said, "even though he's a level 3 monster. He won't be a lot of help to you, Yume." _And too bad she doesn't know his special attack!_

Duke rolled his dice, getting two Movement and an Attack Crests. "Time to strike!" He got his monsters to move in range. "Gator Dragon, SWAMP FIRE BLAST AT HER HEART POINT!" Gator Dragon charged up, and emptied Yume's first Heart Point, down to two for her.

"Two left before Pegasus gets avenged, and reveal you as a true cheater, and then returned from where you came from!" _I have to beat Duke!_ Yami thought. _But how can I when his path is more subtle, more Heart Points,_ _and_ _more monsters than me all in one go? There_ _must_ _be a way to beat him at his own game!_

Yami was having a tough choice on what to do. _'Yami,'_ Yume called out as the Puzzle glowed. _'I'm taking over!'_ Yume returned, then used the computer that could turn the tables on Duke. She saw Thunder Ball with three Magic Crests and knew what she has to do.

Yume rolled her dice. _I need Magic Crests, or it's back to the Shadow Realm for me!_ Then two Magic Crests appeared when she rolled. "Devlin," Yume said, "I have a surprise for you! I rolled two Magic Crests, but their values are doubled, giving me a total of four Magic Crests."

"So, what's your point there? What's the surprise? And I'm impressed with how you used the help screen to activate that monster's special ability."

"I can use them to activate Thunder Ball's special ability!" He gasped.

"That's right! It's time to turn the tables, Devlin!" Her Thunder Ball turned into a ball. "ROLLING CRUSH!" Her Ball hit his Blasting Lizard. "But it's not over yet! I have another three Magic Crests in my Crest Pool to activate his ability again! AGAIN, THUNDER BALL, THIS TIME ON GATOR DRAGON!"

Thunderball destroyed Gator Dragon in one roll. "Now, the real fun begins!"

"You do realize who invented Dungeon Dice Monsters, right, Yume?"

"Too true, Devlin. Like your idol, Pegasus was the creator of the Duel Monsters card game. And not only that, inventing the game doesn't mean that you can't be beaten! Perhaps when I defeated Pegasus was the exception to that rule. Perhaps you're better."

Duke heard the compliment from Yume, but then he realized why he's using Dungeon Dice Monsters against her. "Hey! The only way you would've beaten Pegasus is by cheating! Don't try and fool me."

"You're actually fooling yourself, Devlin." Duke is starting to get angry, then rolled his dice, getting two Attack Crests and four Movement Crests. (Double rules.) "Those will be saved in the Crest Pool."

Yume picked up her dice, then rolled them, getting a level 2 summon. "DIMENSION THE DICE FOR KNIGHT OF TWIN SWORDS!" (ATK/DEF/LIFE: 20/10/30.) "And I'll store the rest."

"So," Duke said, "at least you've become skilled at conserving your Crests." _Wow,_ he thought. _There she goes again, using the help screen._ Yume looked through it and saw how to use her Knight's special ability.

S _he's a quick study, I'll give her that. Some of the things she learned in minutes took_ _me_ _weeks to come up with! I'll take things up a notch. And I also have the right dice to do it._ Duke rolled his dice, getting another summon. "DIMENSION THE DICE FOR BATTLE OX!" (ATK/DEF/LIFE: 20/20/20.)

"I hope you're monster would avoid him, but it would be impossible because with the four Movement Crests I have stored, Battle Ox will be in range of your Knight. Get ready to lose him. ATTACK! But not only that, but a 10 Attack Point boost is added whenever he faces a warrior monster, making it 30!"

"Ah, NO!" Yume saw Battle Ox about to slash her Knight Of Twin Swords, but she saw that she has at least one Defense Crest. "KNIGHT, DEFEND!" Her Knight lowered and used his swords to prevent the axe from reaching him, only taking 20 Points of damage to his Life. (10.)

"Sorry, Devlin, but with 10 Points of Defense, only 20 is taken, with still some Life left over to remain on the board." _Now, she taught herself how to defend!_ "Now for my turn!" Yume rolled, and got what she needed.

"With enough Attack Crests, I can use two to activate my Knight's ability. He'll be allowed to attack twice in one swift move, one for each sword!" Her Knight retracted the axe and got ready for an attack. "DOUBLE SLASH ATTACK NOW!" Her Knight slashed at the Battle Ox once (10.) and then again (0.), destroying the Battle Ox.

Her friends were cheering her on for getting back in the game. "I'll end my turn, but I'll warn you to steer clear of my monsters." Duke just chuckled, then started laughing. "What's so funny, Devlin?!" She demanded.

"You were able to defeat my Battle Ox," he explained. "But with a huge cost, too!" Yume was a bit confused. "Allow me to explain: Just look at your dungeon path." She looked, but she didn't see anything wrong. "You can't cross your opponent's dungeon path, so you're stopped dead in your tracks!"

She now knows what Duke is explaining and realized that he's trapped her! _Now I can't advance on him! He's trapped me with a limited space. If I run out of places to summon monsters and they all got destroyed, then I will lose this game and return to the Shadow Realm!_

"And not only that," Duke added, "I can think of one way for you to win this. But to do _that_ is a full head-on assault, which could cost you this game, as you have to defeat all four of my monsters to reach my Heart Points." Duke picked up his dice, receiving a black one. He rolled all three, able to use the black die.

"DIMENSION THE DICE!" He placed it down. "You'll see the power of the black dice now, Yume." The die opened, revealing a black hole. "The Warp Vortex!" He saw Yume's confused look.

"A Warp Vortex," he explained, "is a special summoning that requires only the rare black dice. When the other one is used, monsters can be sent from one space to another, depending on where the two are placed. And I've figured out the best spot for the second one."

Yume looked and realized where he meant. "And all that stands between you and defeat is the time it takes my Automator to pull out another rare black die. And I have a feeling it won't be long, so start working on your retirement speech!"

 _There's not much I can do! I better put up my defenses and strike whenever possible._ She rolled her dice, and got a summon. "DIMENSION THE DICE FOR STRIKE NINJA!" (ATK/DEF/LIFE: 20/10/10.) "And his high speed allows three spaces for each Movement Crest!"

"Nice try, Yume. But his speed isn't enough to come close to the warp speed that the Vortex would give me." He picked up his dice, with one black die. "And speaking of which, I have obtained my second black die." She gasped. "I can use this to finish you off!" He rolled his dice. _Another summon and I'm finished!_ Yume thought.

When the dice landed, the Vortex couldn't be summoned, and he said that Yume lucked out this time. When Yume received her dice, she received a surprise. "Devlin," she called out. "I have my own black die!" He gasped. She rolled her dice, able to summon the Vortex. "Alright! Looks like this plan backfired!"

She placed the black die down. "DIMENSION THE DICE!" A Vortex appeared. "I place this one where I can have easy access to your Heart Points, Devlin! Strike Ninja, get inside that Vortex!" Her ninja jumped inside, popping out too close for Duke's comfort.

"ATTACK HIS RYU-KISHIN WITH STEALTH SLASH ATTACK!" He pulled out a kunai and slashed at Duke's monster, leaving it in place, but being splitted later, destroyed. _He was able to block me, but I saw the disadvantage on it! By using the black die against him, I'm really close to his Heart Points!_

 _This is impossible!_ Duke thought. _Not only did Yume use that Warp Vortex against me, but one more Movement Crest and her Strike Ninja will be in range to my Heart Points. I_ _can't_ _let that happen!_ Duke rolled his dice, but got unlucky as he can't summon.

When Yume rolled her dice, she got three Movement Crests (One's a double.) and a Summon Crest. "Great!" She exclaimed. "Now I can move Strike Ninja to your Heart Points! ADVANCE!" Her strike ninja moved three spaces, in direct range of Duke's Heart Points. "Now, ATTACK! WIPE OUT HIS HEART POINT WITH LUNGING CLAW SLASH!"

He jumped up, then tossed six throwing kunai at one Heart Points, emptying it and leaving Duke with two left. He started laughing, but then calmed down.

"Sorry, Yume." He said. "It's been so long, besides Pegasus, since someone hit one of my Heart Points. You should've given yourself a pat on the back. Because I can guarantee that it won't happen again!"

He rolled his dice, able to summon. "DIMENSION THE DICE FOR MY UNBEATABLE MONSTER!" The die opened, but in a way where h can ambush Strike Ninja. "Orgoth The Relentless!" (ATK/DEF/LIFE: 20/20/50.) "Then, I'll use two Magic Crests to activate Orgoth's special attack, which increases his Attack by 10!" (New ATK: 30.)

"Then I'll use two stored Movement Crests to move him in range of your Strike Ninja!" It happened. "DIAMOND BLADE SLASH!" Orgoth was about to attack, but Yume quickly used the help screen to see Strike Ninja with a Trap Crest! A cloud of smoke happened when Orgoth attacked. "There goes your ninja, Yume."

"Are you sure, Devlin? Look again!" When the smoke cleared, her ninja was unharmed. "Just before your Orgoth attack, I activated Strike Ninja's special ability. By using one Trap Crest, it'll allow him to evade any and all attacks that would otherwise hit him."

 _I can't believe this!_ Duke thought. _Yume taught herself such an advanced defense maneuver! She's making me look like a novice! I can't let this happened. Just got to remember that she's a no good cheater. She wouldn't have the skills in this game!_

Yume held up her dice. "My turn, Devlin." She rolled them, but only got Movement and Magic Crests. "At least I still have left over Attack Crests. Strike Ninja," she ordered. "LUNGIN CLAW THRUST AT HIS NEXT HEART POINT!" More throwing knives were thrown, emptying another Heart Point from Duke, leaving him with his final one!

"Now the lead is mine, Devlin!"

 _That little wannabe!_ Duke thought. _I swore I'd have my revenge on you for cheating Pegasus and sabotaging my game, and I will!_ He tossed his dice, getting Movement and Magic Crests. "Strike again, Orgoth! Show that Ninja why you're relentless!"

Yume looked at her Crest Pool, but she has no Trap Crests left. Orgoth attacked, destroying her ninja! "You were closer than anyone I've ever faced in Dungeon Dice Monsters. But that close doesn't give you the victory. You may have one more Heart Point than me, but I have Orgoth, and you are at a dead end!"

 _I have to go back on the defensive!_ Yume rolled her dice, giving her a double Movement Crest. "With two Movement Crests in," she said, "I'll move Knight Of Twin Swords to make an obstacle between your monsters, and my Heart Points!"

"It won't save you while I have Orgoth." Duke rolled a two, double Movement Crests. "Four Movement Crests! You know how you used to sneak through my defenses? Well, what comes around goes around!" His Orgoth moved to the Vortex, ending right close to Yume's monsters _and_ Heart Points.

"I have at least two tries left, and it's my move!" She rolled, and got thee Movements and a Magic. "Three Movement Crests to move my monsters into a further defensive formation."

"I knew you'd be a cheat because now you're cowering!" Duke rolled, but got no Movement Crests. "I have Movement Crests in my Crest Pool, and use two of them to bring Orgoth in attack range."

It happened. "Now," he added, "the two recent Magic Crests will be used to increase Orgoth's Attack by another 10." (40.) "DIAMOND BLADE STRIKE ON THUNDERBALL!" Orgoth attacked, destroying Thunderball.

"You played good for a first timer, Yume. But now, it's almost time for you to retire. Because there was no way a hack like you could have beaten the great Pegasus. Now I'll expose you as the fraud you really are!"

"Not yet, Devlin! It's not over until the final move is played!" Yume rolled her dice, getting three Movement and one Attack. Yume checked her help screen. "I've found Mighty Mage's special ability that allows it to attack its opponents from two spaces away. LIGHTNING STAFF ATTACK!"

Mighty Mage charged up to strike, but Duke used a Defense Crest on Orgoth, weakening it by 10. (LIFE: 20.) "Your Mighty Mage has 30 Attack. And with Orgoth having 20 Defense, he managed to survive and take only 10 Points of damage."

"And with Orgoth at 40 Attack, my Mighty Mage took 20 Damage, but leaves with 20 Life remaining. But he's not finished yet, Devlin."

"After my next turn, yes." Duke rolled, getting double Attack, Defense, and Magic. "Yes! Orgoth, one space advancement!" It happened. "And because of his ability, I'll use six Magic Crests to increase his Attack by 30, almost doubling his Attack, but at 70 Points worth."

"It'll take more than strength to win, Devlin. Without a strategy, power is nothing but just an empty threat!"

"Are you sure?" Duke asked. "Orgoth, attack Mighty Mage. SUPER DIAMOND BLADE STRIKE!" Orgoth struck the Mage. Nothing happened, but Mighty Mage flashed, then got destroyed.

 _My last monster!_ Yume thought. _And he's the only one to stop Orgoth!_

Duke laughed. "I guess your beginner's luck has finally been emptied, Yume." Yume picked up her next set of dice.

 _What am I going to do?_ She thought. _Dungeon Dice Monsters is a totally different game. I'm not sure if I'm good enough to beat Devlin, but-_

' _Yume,'_ Yami called out. _'Don't give up! There's always something Devlin doesn't know!'_

' _What's that, Yami?'_

' _Look. You've been in tougher situations against better duelists than Devlin. No matter what happens during those duels, we've always have a point to turn things around. We beat Pegasus together, and won Duelist Kingdom Tournament.'_

' _B-But this is different!'_

' _Stop with this humble, Yume! We became the best gamer when we won that tournament: Weevil, Mako, Mai, and even Joey. Not to mention Panik and the Paradox Brothers. And it's all for believing in the heart of the cards, no matter who the opponent was or tough things got. Not to mention beating Pegasus at his own game. We are known as the Queen Of Games for a reason.'_

' _Thanks, Yami! I have lots of faith I can beat Devlin!'_ Yume rolled her dice, getting a Movement and two Attack. "Two spaces for my Knight!" It happened. "Now for the math: I have four in my Crest Pool, and two I just rolled. That makes six, more than your Defense Crests so I'm able to take down Orgoth!"

 _Time to defeat Orgoth and then get to the offensive!_ "Knight Of Twin Swords, TRIPLE YOUR DUEL SWORD SLASH!" While her Knight is attacking Orgoth, Duke had other plans.

"Amateur!" Duke cried out. "Just because you have higher Attack Crests than my Defense Crests, doesn't mean I can activate Yaranzo's special ability. I can use three Trap Crests and change them to one Defense Crest, protecting Orgoth!"

"Unbelievable! All six attacks got blocked!"

"Time's up, Yume! In a few more turns, your history, so you'll return from where you belong. You have nothing left, Yume." He rolled, and got double Movement, Attack and Trap. "ATTACK THE KNIGHT OF TWIN SWORDS WITH DIAMOND BLADE STRIKE!" Orgoth destroyed the two swords, finishing off the Knight.

"And _that_ was the last monster you had, Yume. And now, I declare myself a victory."

"There's nothing left," Yume said defeatedly. "Everything I did was in vain. It's easy give in when things get tough, but that's not the way to win." She looked at Duke in the eyes.

"And I'm not about to just give up. I'll play to the very end! Giving up would never work, no matter the stakes, either in Duel Monsters or life. You may have learned a lot in this game, but you have a lot to learn with who your opponent is. Maybe by the time this match is over, you'd learn more than just a new Dungeon Dice rule."

She rolled, but can't do anything. Duke let out a short laugh. "So much for your philosophy. _You'll_ be the one about to get schooled. Just watch the master roll his dice." He did, and got two double Movement and a double Magic.

"Orgoth, advance two spaces!" It happened, and Orgoth is in attack range of Yume's Heart Points. "ATTACK HER NEXT HEART POINT!" Orgoth released another attack, this time emptying Yume's Heart Point, bringing her to just one left.

"Last turn, Yume. This last turn will give me Pegasus' revenge, _and_ have you return from where you came after realizing what a fraud you are to everyone, Yume!"

"Don't gloat just yet, Devlin. All that's left is one monster and then Orgoth is finished! Then the match will be turned around."

"It sounds simple, but you can't do anything about it, Yume. Or did you forget that you don't have enough pace for one summon? Millions of gaming fans around the world are glued to the TV, waiting for me to show you just how much of a fraud you are. The moment of truth has happened, Yume."

 _I don't even know what to do! There's nothing I can do but summon one monster left. But, I'm not feeling it right. What if I don't get the needed monster?_ She was about to roll, but the Puzzle glowed within her coat pocket.

"Is this another stunt where you prevent yourself from being seen when you'd retreat away, Yume?" Duke asked, noticing the glow. Yume checked, and a bright flash occurred.

~Shadow Realm~

Yume looked around in the Shadow Realm as she realized where she was, and then she saw the Pharaoh. He walked over to her. "Pharaoh!" Yume exclaimed. "What's going on?"

"Yugi and Dark Magician Girl are having doubts about you, saying that you have a feeling of doubt for winning. Tell me what happened."

Yume told him what she knew about Dungeon Dice Monsters and Duke Devlin, that if she loses, she'll be back here. "But I'm having doubts about my last chance to beat Devlin. I might just be back here, for all I know."

"You think giving up is an option?" Pharaoh asked her. "Because I think not! What do you suppose that one monster is?"

"Dark Magician. He'd _never_ let Yugi down. But I don't know if it'll work with me."

"Yume," Pharaoh said, "just ask yourself this: Has either Dark Magician, or Dark Magician Girl, _ever_ let you down before?" She shook her head. "Then don't lose hope, Yume! There's still a chance to beat him. Get back there with confidence and _destroy_ him!"

"You're right, Pharaoh!"

~Domino City, Duke vs Yume~

Yume returned back to the game, looked at the board, and figured out where to put her monster. _Here goes nothing,_ she thought as she tossed the dice. "GO, DICE ROLL!" They landed a double Trap and two, level-4 summon. "YES! One level-4 summon, coming right up!"

"Too bad it won't happen." Duke reminded. "Because, remember, I boxed you in tight enough so you can't summon."

"Don't be sure, Devlin!" Duke looked at her. "There's more than one way to dimension the dice, Devlin. Just have to believe." Duke got a little angry at her. "Let the dice tell you, Devlin!" She placed it down. "DIMENSION THE DICE!" One showed up in a tight spot.

"It won't work." But when the die split apart, it worked perfectly. "IMPOSSIBLE! It's a perfect fit _and_ aligned correctly! The summon is complete!"

"That's true," Yume said, "now I can summon-" A magician in dark robes appeared. "-THE DARK MAGICIAN!" (ATK/DEF/LIFE: 40/20/30.) "He hasn't failed me yet, Devlin. I trusted in my dice, and there he is!"

 _I've underestimated her all along!_ He thought. _She was able to summon her second-favorite monster! Was I wrong between her and Pegasus? NO, I can't!_

"I'll move him with the four Movement Crests I have left to have him in attack range of your Orgoth." It happened. "And with 40 Attack, he'll _destroy_ Orgoth! DARK MAGIC ATTACK!" Dark Magician used his staff to strike Orgoth with magic, destroying him. "20 Defense was not enough to have him survive."

 _Keep smiling, Yume,_ he though. _Because I'm blasting that Dark Magician to smithereens_ _and_ _taking out your last Heart Point._ "Now for some payback!" He rolled and got two Magic and a Defense. "Dark Assailant will be moved towards your monster, Yume!" He moved three spaces, landing on the item chest.

"Remember when I told you about item summoning?" She nodded. "Well, the time has come. Dark Assailant, OPEN THAT TREASURE CHEST!" _What could be in there?_ She thought as her question was answered when the chest exploded, revealing a different monster with a cannon on its back.

"Monster Cannon!" Duke cried out. "And what it does, is it'll wipe out Dark Magician. As soon as the attack is launched, you'll lose this game for sure for not only will I take out your monster, I'll also automatically win this duel because you won't be able to summon another monster! Ready!"

His monster went inside the cannon. "Aim!" Aimed at the Dark Magician.

Yume had other plans for him. "Before you launch, I'll activate Dark Magician's special ability! Conceal in the Magical Hats, Dark Magician, using two Magic Crests!" Dark Magician disappeared as four identical hats appeared. "You'll only have one shot to perfect this. Get it right, and you win. Fail, and I win!"

"Those carnival tricks won't save you, Yume! SECOND HAT FROM THE LEFT! FIRE!" Dark Assailant launched from the cannon to the hat, only to prove him that it was empty.

"Sorry, Devlin, but that hat was empty." Dark Magician popped out on the rightmost hat. "I would thank you for the Dark Magician's special abilities in this game the same as Duel Monsters."

Duke is starting to freak out a little. "Yaranzo, retreat to your original square!" He moved. _Dark Magician,_ he thought, _has a few more abilities. I've gotta strengthen my defenses before it's too late._

"You can run," Yume said, "but you can't hide!" Yume rolled, getting an Attack, Magic, and a double Magic. "Two Magic Crests for another ability of the Dark Magician: Mystic Box!" The box appeared as the Dark Magician went inside. When the doors closed, swords stabbed the box! "The Warp Vortex inspired me to another way of teleportation."

"You skewered your own monster! How would _that_ help you?!"

"Are you sure it was my Dark Magician?" When the doors opened, Yaranzo was inside, and got destroyed due to the swords.

"YARANZO!" Another box was there and, when opened, revealed the Dark Magician. "Your monster switched places with mine!" He saw the distance between him and his last Heart Point. "But not only that, he's in attack position, and nothing will be protecting my last Heart Point!"

"Then that means, Devlin," Yume called out, "that Dark Magician will deal the last and final blow! DARK MAGIC ATTACK!" Dark Magician used his staff, obliterating his last Heart Point and giving Yume the victory.

Yume stepped off as her friends cheered her on as Yami smiled at her for having her know why they were called Queen of Games. Joey got out of the dog costume, and joined in the crowd.

Duke came to Yume and held out his hand. "Yume," he started, "I have to apologized for accusing you as a cheat. The better player was you. That proved you beat Pegasus fair and square. I was acting like a creep today, and due to the match being broadcasted on TV, the whole world knows. And now, no one will play Dungeon Dice Monsters."

"Duke, listen to me." Yume said. "Dungeon Dice Monsters has the chance for a potential for a high hit."

"I'll have to agree, Yume." Solomon said when he joined them. "I haven't seen a game this exciting since Duel Monsters. Keep the store open, Duke."

"There's more," Téa considered, "than enough room for _both_ game stores in town. I have a feeling that once Dungeon Dice Mosnters takes off, the two of you will have all the customers you can handle."

Duke cheered up a bit. "You really think so?"

Joey held up one of Duke's die. "Sure, we do. Dice monsters I like, but you I don't."

Tristan held up his own. "I'd want to learn how to play, too."

"I'd be able to teach you well!"

"Things should go back to normal, Duke, so I can finally return to playing Duel Monsters."

"What? How can you let me off so easily, Yume? After all that time I called you a cheat? I was also a total jerk to your friends."

"The game is over, Duke. Leave the fighting on the field because revenge leaves you with nothing except for more bad feelings. And if you _are_ truly sorry, the best thing to do is to be friends."

He sighed. "I am. But you showed me much more than winning, Yume. Friendship!"

Yume held out her hand. "It sure is." Duke took her hand and shook it, but remembered something else.

"Hang on, Yume." He said. "That game we played, I could've sworn that I played that same way before, as well as recieved the same speech. Now, who said and did the same thing again?" He thought for a minute. "YUGI!" It clicked in his mind. "Yume, I wanna ask you: What happened to Yugi?"

Yume was surprised, because now, she can't hide it anymore. If she denies what happened, she'll become suspicious! "I guess it's time." Yume reached into her pocket and pulled out the Millennium Puzzle.

Joey was taken back. "That's Yugi's Puzzle! How did you get that Millennium Item?!"

"He… gave it to me." They all gasped. "I'm not really Yume Orskov! I've been in hiding with that name, trying to build a reputation as Queen of Games. But now, since you guys know too much, I can't denie it."

She took a deep breath, then explained. "My true name is Yume Orskov Muto, the daughter of the Legendary Duelist, Yugi Muto." Everyone gasped again, except for Solomon and Joey. "And if you want to know what's happened to Yugi, well…"

~FLASHBACK~

 _With Marik's Ra out again, and Pharaoh with Dark Magician Girl out and a face down after using Magical Dimension, he was having Marik say something first._

" _You," he said, "were a fool to sacrifice Obelisk, Pharaoh." He chuckled. "Without an Egyption God to protect you, you're out of luck!"_

" _I," Pharaoh called out, "have plenty luck left over, Marik! Look around, I still have every one of my friends to give me the support. And I still have the heart of the cards to give me strength."_

 _Green smoke appeared as Marik was a bit confused as a tomb appeared. "Magical Dimension," he explained, "allows me to summon ANY Spellcaster from my hand." Marik was shocked. "Behold, the Dark Magician!" The tomb opened up, revealing the Dark Magician as he stepped out._

" _Now, for the final card," Pharaoh called out as he revealed it. "RAGNORAK! Watch closely as my two magicians unlock this card's magic. Once this great power is released, every monster on your side of the field will be crushed, including your Winged Dragon Of Ra! And since you and Ra are fused together, you'll be destroyed as well!"_

 _Marik was taken back, but then chuckled. "That may be true, Pharaoh, but the devastation caused by your attack will also destroy my weaker side. Look." Weaker Marik has only one eye left, and bits of his hair._

" _The shadows have almost claimed him completely. One attack like that, and he'll be destroyed!"_

" _It won't be true, Marik. Once Ra is gone, only 1 Life Points will be left over, as you need some to stay in the duel."_

" _That means nothing, Pharaoh!" Marik called out. "Once he's that weak, the forces of the Shadow Realm will be too strong to resist." He laughes._

~END~

"So then," Yume finished, "when the Pharaoh was stuck with a choice, someone else tried to pertain his dark side, but it wasn't enough for the Pharaoh to use Ragnarok. He let the Trap dispersed and then he lost."

"Then, shouldn't Marik get the Millennium Puzzle, then?" Téa asked, but Yume shook her head.

"When he won," she said, "he didn't had time to take the Puzzle when Yugi, my father, was sent to the Shadow Realm with the Puzzle. I've been in ten years of training for this to prepare. But to work it out for me, I needed to be born."

"So, what happened next?" Joey asked.

"Well, the Shadow Realm only consists of monsters. And to give birth to me, a female monster had to do that. And here I am. And the only explanation I can come up with is that my mother is also a Duel Monster." She took a deep breath before telling them. "Dark Magician Girl."

Everyone was shocked when they heard Yume say it, except for Joey and Solomon. Téa less shocked because she kinda knew it.

"Not only that," she added, "Joey and Solomon knew about it. And Téa just put the pieces together. I didn't want to tell you guys, but there was too much suspicion. Eventually, I had to tell you. And if you're wondering, yes, I _do_ have a monster side, but I'm not sure which one."

"Then the only way to find out," Duke said, "is for you to face that Marik person!"

"I know, Duke. But I can't let him know about my presence. So, I have a plan. I'll be a girl at the next tournament that happens. But at the finals, I'll disguise myself."

"That should be enough, Yume." Joey said. "I'm sure that Marik creep will never see it coming!"

a/n YAY! Finished Season 1. Next is picking up duel-disks and first duel.


	2. Battle For Red Eyes

Hey guys, all this time, I'm ready for the best bit. Also, the first part will contain getting the new dual-disk system that Seto Kaiba made, so enjoy!

The gang is walking through downtown to collect the new dual disks for the Battle City Tournament. However, Yume is having a bit of thought about it.

 _It would be cool,_ she thought, _that the winner of this tournament would have a deck full of rare and powerful cards. But the downside is I've used this deck so much that I've put my heart into it. I can't lose either of my Magicians: Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. Also, I'm glad Joey spent some time with Yami before Ishizu met us._

The gang is at a building for registration. "Well," she said, "here's will we register."

 _This is it,_ Téa thought. _This tournament will be really risky, but we'll all get through it together!_ They walked in and was greeted by someone. "May I be of some assistance?"

"Um," Yume said, "is this the place where we register? Because to enter the Battle City Tournament, we need dual-disks."

"Well, you came to the right place! I have three left in stock. I'll need your name so I can make sure you qualify."

"Yume Orskov."

He checked the computer. "Yume Orskov," he said quietly when he got his results after a few seconds. "Yep, you're here. And you qualify with five stars, the highest rank!"

"Where did the information came from?"

"Kaibacorp performed extensive research on duelists around the world and compiled the results into a database. The stars list your dueling level and the card shown is the rarest card you've ever played. To ensure that only the best duelists enter, Mr. Kaiba has gone great lengths to learn everything about you and your decks."

He turned the computer around for all to see, and as he said, Yume's picture was there, as well as the Dark Magician showing and five stars underneath both.

They all gasped. "Everything?" Yume exclaimed. "That gives anyone who faces against Kaiba an unfair advantage!"

"Well," the man said, "you have the necessary stars to qualify, so you get Kaiba corp's new and improved dual-disk system." He got up, picked up a duel-disk, then handed it to Yume, to which she took it, thanking him.

Then Joey stepped past her. "I'll register as well! Joey Wheeler."

The man looked through it on the computer after turning it back. "There's a downfall as you only have one star. Not enough to qualify."

"KAIBA FIXED THOSE RESULTS! I'M THE RUNNER UP IN DUELIST KINGDOM TOURNAMENT!" Joey was about to go after him, but Tristan held him back, telling him to calm down.

"Don't you think," Téa said, "it's weird when he doesn't qualify?"

Joey is still freaking out about not entering. "I _know_ Kaiba fixed that result! I just know it! Second in Duelist Kingdom Tournament and he won't let me enter!"

"Calm down, Joey!" Yume said. "There just _has_ to be an explanation."

"She's right!" The man said and they turned to him. "There was a malfunctioned hard drive in the computer when you actually had four stars. Enough for qualification."

"Let me see!" Joey turned it around to see a Red Eyes Black Dragon, a picture of himself, and four stars. "I knew that computer was wrong to begin with. I stayed relaxed and kept cool while he was fixing it."

The man took the next duel-disk of the shelf and handed it to Joey, who he was too ecstatic and grabbed it quick! "Time for the Battle City Tournament!"

~The Next Day, Battle City Tournament beginning~

The rules for the Battle City Tournament is pretty simple: Starting Life Points is 4000 and you have to sacrifice monsters for more powerful ones. For example, a level 6 needs one and a level 7 needs two. And you can attack your opponent's Life Points directly if they have no monsters on the field. And when you use Polymerization, the Fused monster must wait one turn before attacking.

Yume was at the Plaza, looking at her Locator card, when she heard her name being called out. She looked up and saw Mai heading her way. "How's it going, Mai?"

"Okay for me. Pretty big turnout for this thing, huh?" She looked at the crowd. "All losers."

Yume looked around herself. "Actually," she said, "some of these duelists are ones we've never seen, known or faced before."

"This is very exciting Yume, because new duelists means new strategies to find and figure out! But what I want to know myself is, who should I kick out first?"

"I found you, Yume! I knew you were buzzing around." She turned around and saw, who could believe it, Weevil and Rex.

"Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor." Mai said. "Thought I smelt something."

"You played me for a fool back at Duelist Kingdom, Mai!" Rex complained. "Now, I'll be ready for some payback!"

"Yume," Weevil said, "next time we duel, you won't be lucky next time. I've infected my deck with swarms of rare and powerful insects." Weevil was about to laugh, but a certain sea-duelist covered his mouth.

"Those are some," he said, "large words coming from a small guppy."

"Mako Tsunami!" Yume exclaimed.

He uncovered Weevil's mouth. "If anyone," he said, "shall make any waves, it'll be me! And there's nothing that can withstand my mighty denizens of the deep!"

"Those sardines," Rex countered, "will be crushed by my dino horde!"

"I happen to get a new card called Fortress Whale, which is much mightier than your Two-Headed King Rex."

"I have a monster _far_ more superior than my Great Moth, but I'm not telling anyone!" Mako grabbed him and shook him.

"Maybe I'll shake it out, then!"

Yume ignored them, but when she looked around a bit more, she saw a figure in a purple cloak with yellow pearl earrings, sipping tea. She has a feeling that she shouldn't trust him! _'That's a Rare Hunter, Yume! Be careful!'_ Yami told her.

Everyone parted ways, waiting for the start of the tournament. Yume kept looking around for Joey, but she can't find him. "Greetings, duelists!" Seto announced. "Welcome to Battle City." She looked around, but can't find him, until a shadow appeared above her and saw a giant blimp.

"It's time to put your dueling skills to the test. I hope none of you entered my tournament looking for friendly competition. Because Battle City's gonna be an all-out war. Before my Battle City Tournament begins, I thought I'd let you all know what you're in for, in case you want to back out now. Let's begin with my new dual disks."

Yume looked at hers. "Everyone who I decided was good enough to enter recieved one. And with it, you can duel anytime, anywhere, and they contain a tracking chip that allows me to watch every move you make." He placed his deck inside a slot for it.

"Next, let's talk about the most important tournament rule. The loser of each duel is required to fork over their rarest card to the winner. If you don't have the guts to risk losing your precious cards, then I'd suggest you forfeit now. And if anyone is foolish enough can challenge me to a duel because I'll also be competing in this tournament."

"Thought so."

"But don't get your hopes up because I intend to win, and there's one duelist out there I can't wait to defeat."

"You're on, Kaiba!"

"And speaking of winning, only the 8 best duelists will make it to the final round, and these finals will be held in a hidden location. And in order to find the location, that's where the Locator cards come in. You start off with one that came with your dual disk. But don't get too excited, because one's not enough. Six are needed to qualify for the finals."

Yume took out her Locator card. "Every time you win a duel, you'll receive a Locator card from the losing opponent. When six cards are stacked together, they produce a map of Battle City and activate a Global Positioning Satellite, which will transmit the location to you. But the tournament finals are a long time away, and most of you will be eliminated way before that."

The tournament started and Yume was ready to free her father, Yugi, from the Shadow Realm. That is, until she heard Joey nearby. She came down to investigate. "What's going on, Joey?"

"That creep," Joey said, pointing at the purple cloaked man, "is the one who took my Red Eyes! And I wanna duel to earn him back!" The man just smiled.

"I have no desire to duel you. I've already relieved you of your rare Red Eyes Black Dragon." He stood up. "My hunt for your deck is over, and my prey's already been captured."

"Too bad for you, Rare Hunter!" Joey cried out. "I'm not leaving until I receive my Red Eyes back!"

"I told you, you have lost interest in me. That is, if your girlfriend would want be interested as my next victim. It would be a pleasure to hunt the Duelist Kingdom Champion, and snare that Dark Magician she has, so I'd challenge Yume Orskov to a duel!"

"Yume is not my girlfriend, Rare Hunter! And this is just between you and me, got it?"

"Joey, wait!" Yume exclaimed. "I accept, Rare Hunter! Joey, this is the only way to get your Red Eyes back! If I'm getting him back, then I'm putting Dark Magician in risk myself. I'll beat him, Joey. I promise!" _'Yami, let me take out this Rare Hunter! I don't want anyone in the Battle City Tournament except for who I told know about Father's Millennium Puzzle!'_

' _Stay safe, Yume.'_

"You are my first opponent, Rare Hunter. And if I win, you return the Red Eyes Black Dragon! If you win, you get my Dark Magician."

"I won't let you, Yume! Your Dark Magician is your second favorite card. I won't forgive myself if that ugly bum takes your most valuable card. This is my-" Yume stopped him by lifting up a hand to silence him.

"I have to battle this Rare Hunter, Joey. I _have_ to risk Dark Magician at some point, Joey. My first Battle City duel and the first step to bringing _him_ back." Joey knew she meant Yugi, her father, in the Shadow Realm. And he's silent.

"Let's just get this duel underways!" Rare Hunter insisted. "The sooner I claim my prize, the better."

"Let's just get this over with, Rare Hunter."

"Don't think about revealing my strategy, Joey Wheeler. If you say anything, I'll tear apart that Red Eyes Black Dragon! It's best if you keep your mouth shut so I can take out the Duelist Kingdom Champ and take her Dark Magician without any commentary."

"This is just a one on one duel, Rare Hunter." Yume said as she inserted her deck in the necessary slot. "Let's activate the holo-imagers." They activated their holo-imagers and dual disks as they started their duel.

Yume draws her first card to start the duel. "I'm taking the first draw!" Yume placed her cards inside the dual disk. "I place two cards face down." Two cards showed up. "And now I summon Beta, The Magnet Warrior in Attack Mode." Her Magnet Warrior showed up. (ATK/DEF Points: 1700/1600.) "Take your turn."

Rare Hunter drew his card. "My first draw was an expected Graceful Charity, which I'll use right now by drawing three cards as long as I discard two of them!" He did all that. "If only you knew what I'm expecting, you'd forfeit and relinquish your Dark Magician now, Yume Orskov."

"I won't give in, Rare Hunter! I may not know what's in your hand, but my new Trap," it was revealed, "Light Of Intervention will reveal _all_ hidden monsters on your field, so I won't have any surprise attack from you!"

"That Trap won't save you." Rare Hunter said as he placed a monster down. "Stone Statue Of The Aztecs in Defense!" What looks like a stone tablet with a face showed up with its hands up as if defending. (ATK/DEF Points: 300/2000.)

 _All that happened is drawing cards and placing defenses. He_ _has_ _to be waiting for something, and I better figure it out._ "I'll crumble that statue!" She drew her next card. "But because of Battle City rules, I have to sacrifice Beta for a more powerful monster." She placed it down. "BERFOMET!"

Her winged beast showed up. "And he can help me bring Gazelle, The King Of Mythical Beast! But I'm not stopping there, Rare Hunter." She revealed her next face down. "I will now use Polymerization for a fusion! Forming Chimera, The Flying Mythical Beast!" Her two monsters fused to a two-headed, winged beast. (ATK/DEF Points: 2100/1800.)

"On my next turn, Chimera will crush that stone statue into pieces of rubble! Then according to Battle City rules, once you have no monsters, I can make a direct attack on your Life Points."

"Impressive," Rare Hunter said. "But not enough to scare off the Hunter."

"Yume, careful!" Joey warned. "This guy has a plan to wipe you out! Check out the grin on that ugly kisser of his. That's exactly what the old creep did to me!"

"I know what I'm doing, Joey. And I promise you, I _will_ beat him." Yume placed a facedown to end her turn.

"I think I'll get another Graceful Charity." He drew it. "Well, I was right! I'll play it now and draw three in exchange for discarding two." He did so as Yume gasped lightly. _How does he know what card he drew?_

' _Yume, watch out!'_ Yami cried out. _'He's going to summon Exodia, The Forbidden One! I bet he has four pieces of him already. And his fifth one is close by! If you don't do something soon, you're finished!'_

' _I'll be ready, Yami. I know I can do this! Just need a little more time, that's all.'_

"Yume," Rare Hunter said, "the time is up and you lose! That Dark Magician is as good as mine! I'll just strengthen my defenses with Gear Golem, The Moving Fortress!" A spiked golem appeared. (ATK/DEF Points: 800/2200.) "You're Chimera isn't powerful enough to crush him! So, what are you going to do now?"

"You may be protecting your Life Points, Rare Hunter, but for you to win this duel, you'll need to come to the offensive. So, what are _you_ waiting for?"

"Oh, I'll attack soon, Yume. But for now, it's your turn. The hunter will strike his prey when the time is right!" Yume saw from the corner of her eye that Joey was approaching her.

"Yume!" He called out. "I can't stand by and wait for this to end. You are _not_ losing your Dark Magician because for me!"

"Joey, please stop." Yume said. "Don't reveal the Rare Hunter's strategy. I can defeat him and I will. You've become my friend, and I'm fighting this duel for you just as you would do for me. You remember when Weevil threw those Exodia cards into the ocean? You risked your life to get those back. Not because Exodia is powerful, but because I was a friend in need."

It clicked in her mind what the Rare Hunter was about to do. _'You were right, Yami! He_ _is_ _about to summon Exodia!'_ "The jig is up, Rare Hunter! I know you're planning to summon Exodia, The Forbidden One! And I'll have to thank Joey for helping me without giving it away from him, so that means you can't tear apart that Red Eyes!"

"HA! Just because you figured it out, doesn't mean that you can still win this! Everyone knows Exodia is the most powerful creature in Duel Monster's history! How are you going to stop him now?"

"That is the truth. No one has faced against Exodia and won. But for me to win this duel, and get back Red Eyes, then this'll be the first time Exodia has ever been defeated in history!"

"You'll have to give up, Yume! My hunt is over!"

' _I may have figured out the plan, Yami.'_ Yume told her. _'But now, I gotta stop him from having all five pieces in his hands.'_

"Too little, too late, Yume." Rare Hunter said.

"I'll take my turn, Rare Hunter!" Yume draws her card, then places a facedown. "Then I'll attack with Chimera to attack that Stone Statue!" Chimera charged at the stone statue, bashing it into many pieces.

"You failed, Yume! That one turn didn't help you! I'll draw my next card for the win _and_ get a much better prize. First the Red Eyes, and now your Dark Magician!" He laughed as he was about to draw his next card, but Yume stopped him.

"TIME SEAL TRAP!" Yume revealed it. "You can't draw that card yet, Rare Hunter. So I have another turn to try and beat you."

"Desperate move for my desperate prey."

 _Now, to stop him from summoning with his last piece! I can't let him have all five pieces in his hand at the same time. Father depends on me to free him from the Shadow Realm._ Yume draws her next card: Lightforce Sword. "LIGHTFORCE SWORD!" She called out as she played it. A sword shows up.

"The sword," Yume explained, "will attack a random card from your hand. Whichever one is chosen, it'll be prevented from being played for three turns. A piece of Exodia is my target!" _This sword is uncontrollable, so I have to have faith that it'll hit an Exodia piece._ "GO NOW!"

Lightforce Sword pierced through Rare Hunter's hand, removing Exodia's right arm from his hand. "I'm not finished! I'll sacrifice Chimera and replace him with Summoned Skull!" He showed up. "LIGHTNING STRIKE!" Summoned Skull charged up, then released a torrent of electricity on the Rare Hunter's remaining monster, destroying it.

"Your Exodia," she reminded, "may be unstoppable as a whole, but the five cards that make up for it become easy prey!"

"My turn now!" Rare Hunter drew, then Yume reminded him that she can attack his Life Points directly with no monsters to protect him, so he played Swords Of Revealing Light as swords of light surrounded Yume's field. "This'll stop you long enough for me to summon Exodia!"

"Get to him before that last piece of Exodia is picked up!"

"I'll draw one card, then end my turn."

"Thanks to my Swords Of Revealing Light, that's all you _can_ do. You're reduced to watching your own duel, unable to attack, unable to even move. I should've just ended your misery! Why wait for that sword to expire when I can draw another Right Arm from my deck?"

"You have more?!"

"Three of each piece to be exact. Exodia pieces are so rare, most duelists don't own a single piece. There's two more Right Arms left in my deck." She just giggled. "What's so funny?"

"It's your deck." She explained. "You filled it with so many Exodia body parts, the odds of drawing another Right Arm are slim to none."

"We'll find out soon enough, won't we?"

"Your mistake is that you are relying on just one monster, while a true dueling deck requires the right balance in the cards. You're still a prisoner of my Lightforce Sword, which gives me three turns to beat you _and_ Exodia!"

"Wishful thinking. But it's my turn!" He drew his next card, but passed his turn.

"My move. I'll place one card face down, then play Alpha, The Magnet Warrior in Attack." (ATK/DEF Points: 1400/1700.)

"Did you forget about Swords Of Revealing Light?" Yume said she knew, then ended her turn.

"Remember that once the Swords are gone," she reminded, "I can go for your Life Points. And remember that your deck is filled with three copies of each Exodia piece that you squeezed out room for other cards needed to protect your Life Points. You'll need more Magic and Trap to destroy my monsters, but all you have in your hand are Exodia pieces."

He looked back at his hand. "Look at your field, Rare Hunter. You have no monsters, no face downs. You're wide open for a direct attack! But the Swords Of Revealing Light is the only obstacle left, a weak and temporary shield. Once they're let loose, they'll wreak havoc on your Life Points."

"You won't break free from my Trap! It's impossible! I'll be able to summon Exodia in time to wipe out your monsters and give me the win!"

"You're wide open for a direct attack, Rare Hunter. You won't summon Exodia on time."

"Don't forget Swords Of Revealing Light! And it's my turn!" He drew his next card. "And even though it's a replica Exodia piece, your Lightforce Sword will soon wear off, allowing me to gain an instant win!"

"But not soon enough, Rare Hunter." He hesitantly reached for a card in his hand, when he summoned Exodia's Head in Defense. "I wanted you to do just that! Time to destroy Exodia because you fell for my Trap! One you will never make again!" She revealed it. "CHAIN DESTRUCTION!"

A chain came out of the Trap and pierced through Exodia's Head, then hit the Rare Hunter's deck. "Chain Destruction," she explained, "doesn't affect the field. Rather, it'll effect your hand _and_ deck, destroying any copies and sending them to the Graveyard. And all Exodia Heads have been destroyed except for the one you placed in the field."

The Rare Hunter was shocked as he realized that he can no longer summon Exodia. "I'm not through yet. I also found a way around your Swords Of Revealing Light! Activate," she revealed another Trap, "DUST TORNADO! It'll let me destroy one Magic card on the field, and I choose your Swords Of Revealing Light!"

A tornado formed around the field. When it vanished, all swords of light are gone and Yume is free to attack. "My next card is Monster Reborn!" She played it. "Revive, CHIMERA, THE FLYING MYTHICAL BEAST!" Her beast returned. "Chimera, DESTROY EXODIA'S HEAD!" Chimera came at it and clawed it out of existence.

"Now, you are completely defenseless. And with the combined attacks of Summoned Skull and Alpha, you're finished!"

"NO! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!"

"Too late, Rare Hunter. Summoned Skull, CHARGE UP ALPHA!" Summoned Skull charged up and then powered up Alpha. "Even though the power is 3900, Alpha gains an additional 200 for being charged with electricity! ATTACK!" Alpha came after Rare Hunter, and used its sword to shock all the Life Points out of him in one hit, giving Yume the win!

Yume approached the fallen Rare Hunter, and picked up his deck, seeing Joey's Red Eyes fourth from the bottom. "Here it is, Joey!" She took it out, then took a Locator card. "Looks like you won't be entering the finals anytime soon."

She opened the deck farther, then felt something on her fingers. "Something's not right. These cards are marked!" She tore up the Exodia cards. Then she heard the Rare Hunter speaking.

"I lost," he said. "I failed. Forgive me, master! I tried my best! Please, don't be angry!" He got up, clutched his head, and screamed out as the Eye of Horus appeared on his forehead.

"We meet at last!" He said, but it wasn't the Rare Hunter. "I thought the Pharaoh would have an apprentice since I couldn't find the Millennium Puzzle! Congratulations in defeating my Rare Hunter, though he was the weakest in my crew. My other minions will prove much more formidable."

"Explain who you are _now_!" Yume demanded.

"You think it'll be that easy?" He asked. "The Pharaoh's apprentice takes a lot after him, especially with contact in your jacket pocket! I won't allow my other Rare Hunters to fail me like this one did. I have little time for this kind of foolishness, so I have taken over his body and trapped his mind in the Shadow Realm. I am in control!"

The body started doing weird things that a normal person couldn't do. "How are you able to control him?"

"Each Millennium Item," the voice explained, "contains its own unique power. So mind control is a simple task with my Millennium Rod!"

 _No good can come with that power, but Father told me the one person he couldn't beat that had that._ "Marik Ishtar, isn't it?! What do you want!"

"Persistent on how the Pharaoh talked about me, didn't he?" She said nothing. "No matter. I want what rightfully belongs to me, and I'll even use strength to get the Millennium Puzzle from within your jacket using the Egyptian God cards!"

"Egyptian God cards?"

"Millennia ago," Marik explained, "a trio of powerful behemoths rampaged throughout ancient Egypt. These Egyptian God Monsters spread destruction throughout the world until the Pharaoh sealed them away for eternity, but when Pegasus created Duel Monsters, he resurrected these mighty beasts as cards!"

"I knew all about what you're talking about, Marik!"

"Then you must know," he said, "that I'll be using them to destroying you and claim the power that I rightfully deserve! And don't think I will, because you'll misunderstand. I want more than just the power of the Puzzle." Yume gasped.

"I want the boundless energy of the ancient ruler himself, the Pharaoh! And with it, no one will stand in my way. I'll use the almighty magic I'll gain to conquer and lead the world! I will be _unstoppable_! The end is near, Pharaoh's apprentice! It's my world now."

"Now I'm beginning to understand why Ishizu asked me to help my father in the Shadow Realm by entering this tournament. I have to stand between you and the evil powers you seek! And I will, too!"

"Then," Marik said, "your destiny is easier said than done, fool!"

a/n A quick note! After every duel involving Marik through Rare Hunters, I'm adding his conversations with Yume and/or Yami. And also the after effects, if they are available.


	3. A Magical Battle

Here we go! Yume is the only character I own. The plot I have will show her duels in Battle City.

Yume is at the park, looking at the Red Eyes that Joey lets her keep, his favorite card. _'And now that we have it, Yami, it'll be like Joey's heart is part of our deck. No matter where we'll be, Joey will be right with us! If we gotta face Marik and the Rare Hunters, we'll need all the support we can get.'_

' _The only thing we could hope to find Joey again, Yume, is that he needs to go to the finals without the help of his Red Eyes. He's a great duelist, and he seems to get better with every duel he faced. He'll have to keep believing in himself, Yume.'_

' _You're right! He came a really long way since his duel with Mai. And defeating Espa Roba, the ESP Duelist, without his Red Eyes proves enough he can handle himself. Maybe we need_ _his_ _card to help us defeat Marik and rescue Father!'_

Yume heard giggling and she looked to see what looked like a jester. "We've been looking for you!"

"'We?'"

"Head that way and go 53 steps forward to the tent. My master is waiting for you in there." She saw the tent, then turned to the jester again. "It's in your best interest to go." He laughed, then jumped backwards inside a bush.

Yume wasn't sure whether to trust a jester or not, but decided to walk the 53 paces inside the tent, but saw that it was dark and empty. Then lights started to go on, revealing a Mystic Box, and the same jester was in there when the three door's opened. "In here, Yume. Master's waiting."

She went inside the Mystic Box, then came out in what looks like an office, except less of it with a computer on a desk. "Hacking into Battle City Database," the computer said. "Duelist profile for Yume Orskov. Dueling Level: 5 Stars. Rarest card: Dark Magician."

Then red smoke came inside the computer as a red version of Dark Magician, chuckling. "I've been waiting for you. You are not worthy for having me in your deck, so prepare to lose me forever. You're not the only duelist with my power in their deck, Yume, and you're certainly not the best." He placed his staff against her.

"It's time," he said, "that you met the true master of the Dark Magician!"

But Yume just smiled as she just had a recent conversation with Yami. "That's enough of these tricks." The red Dark Magician slowly disappears as laughter came from her left. She looked and saw someone who's not a trick.

"Welcome, Yume Orskov Muto!" He said. "I am the Illusionist known as Arkana, and soon you're Dark Magician will be dueling for me!" He laughed some more. "Only a true master of illusion deserves to hold a Dark Magician. You'll _never_ understand its full potential."

"You're through, Arkana!" Yume growled as her jacket pocket was glowing. _'Please, not now, Yami! Even though Marik knows about you, I want to have revenge by taking down as many Rare Hunters I can before facing Marik!'_ The glow fainted.

Arkana just walked over to her. "Sorry, Yume. It must be hard to think of your card in another duelist's deck. Because I'm challenging you to a duel! The winner will take the loser's Dark Magician!"

"I accept, Arkana. You must've known that when a duelist builds their deck, they'll choose their favorites from many different types of cards. And sometimes a card can choose the duelist. The two are connected, and the duelist can tap into the card's true power because each is bound to the heart of the cards!"

She took her deck and started shuffling it. "And the Dark Magician, as well as my own personal favorite, is when both have chosen me!" She stopped shuffling, then picked the top card, revealing the Dark Magician. "He hasn't failed me yet, and I'd place complete trust in them, too."

"Like you'd _ever_ back down from a challenge." Arkana said. "It's impressive, but this room is too cramped for a duel. I know a special dual ring close by. Follow me." He went down a staircase, with Yume following him. "I have special orders from my superiors to make this a real spectacle."

 _Who does this guy work for?_ Yume thought. _Something_ _has_ _to be up! Better be on my guard._ Arkana opened a door marked with a question mark and they both went through, to see a duel ring unlike any she'd seen before.

Yume approached Arkana, who is over at a pedestal and placed her deck down. "We'll shuffle our decks," Arkana said as he shuffled his, with Yume keeping an eye on him as she shuffled hers.

"Just to be sure you won't have any tricks, I'm cutting your deck!" Yume placed hers to Arkana as he did the same to her.

"There is an old saying," he said as they cut each other's deck, "among high-rollers and card sharks: 'Always trust your opponent, but only after you've cut their deck.'"

"I know one myself," Yume countered. "'Never trust a masked man!'"

"I know I've heard that one before, Yume, but I'm offended either way. But it doesn't matter because you and I are alike. We both play to win. Of course, in this duel performance, you'll find there's an extra side in losing."

Suddenly, Yume was being pulled backwards by the moving platform and iron clasps grabbed her ankles. "What's the meaning of this, Arkana?!"

"Just relax, Yume. Because we're both locked with no escape. There's also an extra twist to this duel. We're not playing for what's inside your deck, we're playing for what's in you mind!" Blue saws appeared, each at the same distance from Yume and Arkana. Yume starts to panic a bit about those, but Arkana laughed.

"It's a dark energy disc, Yume. I wouldn't get too close if I were you because one touch will bring your mind's banishment to the Shadow Realm! I'll explain the rules, so pay attention."

"I'm listening, Arkana."

"Do you see the numbers above the energy discs?" She nodded. "They're our Life Points. The closer it hits to zero, the closer the disc gets to us. Once your Life Points hit zero, you can say hello to the Shadow Realm! Now, look between your feet." Yume did and say a box with the number 4000 on it, and an arrow pointing at Arkana.

"That's a keybox," he explained further. "Inside the box is a key, which would let you escape the shackles on your ankles. But to open it, your opponent's Life Points should hit zero before the box opens, which is what the number states." He laughed even more.

"What kind of person would toy with someone's mind?" Yume asked. "Are you some kind of demented madman?"

Arkana shook his head. "No, I'm a man who's been undefeated. Let the duel BEGIN!" They both activated their duel discs and drew their hands, with Yume going first.

"One card face down, then summon Alpha in Defense!" Both of those appeared, then she ended her turn.

Arkana summoned Legion The Fiend Jester in Defense. Yume drew her card, thinking that she couldn't trust Arkana and think like a trickster. "I hardly trust your hand, Arkana." She placed a card down. "CARD DESTRUCTION!"

Arkana was surprised to see that card. "Both of us discard our hand and draw a new set depending on the amount of cards in our hand. I knew you'd be deceiving me from the start. I thought that rather to take my chances, I destroyed our hands! So, it's out with the old and in with the new. Goodbye to those cards, Arkana."

He and Yume followed instructions of Card Destruction. "Now, I'm revealing my face down!" She revealed it. "BRAIN CONTROL!" A brain with phantom arms showed up and took Fiend Jester, putting it on Yume's side. "Now I can sacrifice them both for my own Dark Magician!" A whirlwind showed up and when it disappeared, Yume's Dark Magician showed up.

"This is for believing in the heart of the cards, Arkana. You believe in nothing but trickery and winning at all costs. This is what'll happen when you believe in faith! SHOW HIM SOME REAL MAGIC!"

Dark Magician approached him, and did a few tricks with his staff. "Make a Direct attack at his Life Points!" Dark Magician released the energy he stored up, causing Arkana to take 2500 points of damage to his Life Points! (1500) "That's more than half your Life Points gone. I'm still waiting for the grand show you promised."

An energy disc got 2500 Life Points closer to Arkana. "That was only an opening, Yume. The worst is yet to come."

"How about you set us both free and end this madness? My Dark Magician has already taken out more than half of your Life Points! One more attack like that, and the dark energy disc will send your mind directly to the Shadow Realm!"

Arkana just laughed at that. "Never will my mind reached it, but yours will, Yume! I promised you a spectacle, and I never disappoint. Not only will I win, I'll take your Dark Magician from you and send you to mental oblivion! You'll need to stop worrying about me and take care of yourself, Yume!" She growled a little.

"Remember that it's my show, which means I can't lose."

"I gave you a chance to save yourself, Arkana." Yume said. "But you've left me with no other choice remaining." She looked at him straight in the eyes. "It's time you lose!"

"When you lose, you'll be alone because no one can _ever_ find us!" Arkana drew his next card. "Mystic Tomato in Defense with one card face down!" They appeared. "Now it's your turn."

 _Arkana has summoned a weak defense monster!_ She thought. _With another monster to bring on the field, I can end this duel quickly!_ Yume draws her card, then placed it in Attack Mode. "Beta, The Magnet Warrior!" Her magnet showed up. "ATTACK, NOW!"

"Hold on, Yume! My trap is activated!" He revealed it. "DARK RENEWAL!" A coffin showed up and emits red energy at Beta and Mystic Tomato when opened, putting them in the coffin. "Dark Renewal," he explained, "takes a monster from each player and sends them to the Graveyard, in exchange for me getting a monster back that I lost."

"Then that means…"

"Yes," Arkana said. "It will give me a second chance to annihilate you!" He started laughing as the coffin opened and his Dark Magician came out. He came out of the coffin, facing Yume's Dark Magician.

"You have your wish, Arkana. It is Dark Magician versus Dark Magician. We'll find out who the real master is."

"Both points are identical, so a straight out attacking won't work, so think more strategically. And only a true illusionist like myself can master the power of a Dark Magician! So prepare to lose your card, and your mind!"

"Think again, Arkana." Yume said as she drew her next card. "Two cards facedown. And end my turn."

Arkana drew his, then placed two face downs. "Two can play at that game. What do _you_ have in stock for me?"

"I'll show you." She said as she drew her card, then placed it face down. Arkana then placed a card face down as well. They each place one more card face down as the showdown begins.

"Now," Arkana suggested, "let's see who has the better strategy! I play a Magic card." He activated it. "THE MYSTICAL GUILLOTINE!" Chains showed up and restrained Yume's Dark Magician as it's about to be destroyed.

"Now, this Dark Magician will be cut from the show, so you can say hello to the Shadow Realm! Sorry to let you down, Yume, but the show's over and the curtain will now fall! On your Dark Magician, that is!" The blade starts falling, but Yume had that plan on him.

"First you'll need to find him, Arkana!" Yume activated her own card. "MAGICAL HATS!" Hats made the Dark Magician disappear, causing the blade to hit an empty one. "You'll need to guess on him, Arkana!"

"It's not gonna work, Yume." He activated his next face down. "A THOUSAND KNIVES!" Knives showed up with his Dark Magician. "These will detect and destroy your Dark Magician!" The knives were heading towards the middle hat, but Yume still has her plan in action.

"Time for a rescue, Arkana." She revealed her next face down. "CURSEBREAKER! This will destroy all Magic cards played!" The knives and the hats all got destroyed, and Yume Dark Magician was free. "It won't be easy to destroy him."

"We'll see about that!" He shouted.

"DARK MAGICIAN." They both shouted. "DARK MAGIC ATTACK!" Both of the Dark Magicians attacked at the same time, destroying them both. "Now he'll return!" They both revealed another Magic. "MONSTER REBORN!" Both Dark Magicians returned.

"We're back to where we started," Arkana said.

"A stalemate. Why don't we unlock the shackles, then finish this duel with honor?"

"HONOR?!" He exclaimed. "And ruin the fun?! NO WAY!"

"Okay then." Yume draws her card. "But answer me this: Why did you lead me down here, Arkana? And why force me into a duel in which the loser's mind is sent to the Shadow Realm?"

"Just following orders from my master."

"That's enough secrets, Arkana! What's going on now?!"

Arkana just said nothing. "This is why." He removed his mask, to which Yume gasped!

"Once, I was the greatest illusionist and magician since Harry Houdini himself." Memories of his acts were going through his head. "My act was the envy of the entire magic world, and I loved every minute of it. I had it all: Money, fame, but the most important one was Catherine." Yume was taken aback, but realized that he was in love with Catherine.

"We were also," he continued, "going to be married until a fateful day. A routine trick, one I'd done many times. But Catherine knew that something was wrong when she looked. I lost my career and movie star good looks then. And I lost Catherine's love, too. I drove her away, Yume! A broken man, and I didn't want her to see me ruined!"

Yume showed a bit of sympathy. "She stood by me," he continued, "and I hurt her! When I figured it out, it was too late because she's been gone. My life was over until I met Marik." He placed the mask back on. "He made me an offer that if I could eliminate the Pharaoh's apprentice for good, he'd help me win back Catherine with that Millennium Rod of his."

"I've known him, Arkana." Yume said. "And believe me, working with Marik will only lead to more pain and suffering. He cares about no one but himself and what he wants! He'll say and do anything to get what he wants!"

"It's a cruel, cruel world, Yume. You'll find that out soon enough. There are very few things you can count on. And even fewer people. I'm still counting on Marik to help me bring Catherine back to my arms. He's a man of honor, Yume. You shouldn't be so quick to judge people."

"You're just a fool, Arkana, in trusting him!" Yume reassured. "Instead, you have to be placing your trust in yourself and in your cards! You rely on tricks and illusions to win instead of believing in your deck. That'll be your downfall in this duel!"

"What could be more important than the cards, Yume? They are just cards, and nothing more!"

"That's your problem, Arkana! They're not just cards. My heart is in my deck, and that is something you'll never understand."

"You talk about your faith in your cards, Yume, but that will be considered a downfall instead. I knew that you depended on the Dark Magician to bail you out, so I built my dueling deck with one purpose: To take the Dark Magician in _your_ deck away from you!"

"Arkana, there's still time. Free us before it's too late. You can still stop this!"

"Not until your Dark Magician is mine!" He drew his card, then placed one facedown. Yume draws her card, then places two face down. "Spicing up the show, huh?" He activates a card. "I play BECKON TO THE DARK!" Clouds formed, then a hand showed up.

Yume started to get scared. "That's right, Yume. With its gruesome claw, this Magic card will destroy any monster on the field. So that Dark Magician will be gone!" The claw grabbed Yume's Dark Magician, but she had plans for him.

"Not yet!" She revealed a Trap. "You didn't count MYSTICAL REFPANEL!" The claw lets go of her Dark Magician. "This Trap," she explained, "will counter the darkness of your Magic card and spare my monster!"

"HA! An old trick I did, Yume!" Arkana said. "Beckon To The Dark was a decoy to get rid of your Trap! So I can play this next card." He activated his own trap. "NIGHTMARE'S CHAINS!" Chains came out of his Trap, ensnaring her Dark Magician. "These chains will bind your Dark Magician, putting him out of play and leaving you open for a direct attack!"

"NO! He's trapped!" Yume exclaimed as Arkana laughed. "With your monster hung up for the moment," he said, "all he can do is look on helplessly while I destroy his master!" He laughed more wildly as Yume growled.

"Of course," he said, "you won't be his master for much longer, so it really doesn't matter, I suppose. Soon, he'll belong to Marik. So, prepare yourself, Yume! Dark Magician, take out her Life Points with a direct attack!"

His Dark Magician readied his staff, then released dark energy at Yume, causing her to scream in pain as her Life Points dropped to 1500, matching Arkana's as the other dark energy disk moves towards her. "This is turning into quite the performance."

' _Yume, You're badly hurt!'_ Yami called out to her. _'Please, let me finish this for you! I'm more than capable to withstand his attacks more!'_

' _G-Go ahead… Yami.'_ Her jacket pocket glowed again, then Yami switched with Yume. "I'm almost ready for the grand finale, Yume. And it'll be worth sticking around for. I don't want to ruin the surprise for you, but let's just say that Marik will be extremely pleased. But you, on the other hand, won't be. Go ahead and make your final move!"

Yami drew her next card. _I can't free my Dark Magician,_ she thought. _So Arkana has me beat, but… what if I set up a defense?_ "I'm setting," she said as she placed a monster down, "Big Shield Gardna in Defense!" A tribesman holding a big shield showed up. (ATK/DEF Points: 100/2600.) _My Life Points will be protected!_

"You're cowering behind your monsters!" Arkana called out. "Desperately trying to put off your inevitable defeat at the hands of my mighty Dark Magician. But that defense won't help you, I'm afraid. After my next turn, you're mind will be sent to the Shadow Realm because your Life Points hit zero. Now it's my turn, if I'm not mistaken!"

Arkana drew his next card. "I'll also play a monster, but in Attack." He placed it down. "Doll Of Demise!" A doll with bladed hands showed up. (ATK/DEF Points: 1600/1700.) "Now, I'll play one more Magic card." He placed it down. "ECTOPLASMER!"

Yami looked at it, but it seemed new to her. "I'll explain what it does. Ectoplasmer is a Magic card that drains the very soul of one of my monsters, creating a pure concentrated form of energy known as Ectoplasm. Which is then fired directly at you!"

"WHAT?!" Yami exclaimed. "But if your monsters are turned to hollow shells, they'll be of no use!"

"Maybe so, but once I defeat you, I'll have no more use for them anyway. Then my task will be complete, and I'll be reunited with Catherine! Now I'll be draining your Life Points by draining one of my monster's souls away!" Yami growled.

"EXTRACT ECTOPLASM!" The soul to his Doll Of Demise went from the monster to Ectoplasmer, then straight at Yami, passing Big Shield Gardna and hitting her Life Points, dropping her to 700 as the dark energy disc is closing in. _One more hit, and I'm out!_

"You've played well, Yume. I'll give you that. But you know why you and your beloved Dark Magician couldn't beat me? You're too soft."

Yami growled. "In battle, monsters respond best to fear! You have to make certain that they are afraid of you. You will never command their respect with kindness and trust. Just look what happened with your Dark Magician. You are the master, they are the servants. And they should ensure victory for you, even if it means you have to destroy them to get there!"

"You are a sick man, Arkana!"

"It's my show, and my Dark Magician knows that I'm his master. He is nothing but my pawn. Now for the grand finale! ECTOPLASMER!" His Dark Magician's soul was sealed in Ectoplasmer.

"Stop this now, Arkana!" Yami tried to reassure. "This duel has already gone way too far!"

"Not when I'm about to win! FIRE THE ECTOPLASM!" The Ectoplasm was fired, passing Gardna and heading towards Yami, but her Dark Magician lost his soul and dashed in front of Yami, blocking the attack and saving her Life Points!

"It looks like," Yami said surprisingly, "your plan to destroy me backfired! You're so busy disrespecting the cards, Arkana, that you fail to learn how to use them properly."

"WHAT?!"

"While it is true that Ectoplasmer drains your monster's souls and fires that energy at your opponent, but what you obviously didn't realize is that when there's more than one of the same monster on the field, they're all affected in the same way. So _my_ Dark Magician was drained of his soul also, cancelling out you attack!"

"You may have avoided that one," Arkana called out, "but you're still one attack away from being banished to the Shadow Realm forever! With you Dark Magician destroyed, and almost all of your Life Points drained out to zero! One more attack, and then that dark energy disc will banish your mind to the Shadow Realm forever!"

"Never, Arkana! You've already lost by putting your trust in a scoundrel like Marik! You actually believe that if you defeat me, he'll reunite you with your lost love, Catherine? If so, then you're more of a fool than I thought." Arkana looked at his deck, then back at Yami.

"Arkana!" Yami shouted. "Why don't you save yourself and set us free?!"

"And ruin the fun? I think not!" He drew his card, then placed a monster face down. "Remember that this is my show, Yume. And the grand finale is so close that I can practically taste it. But don't forget that I'm a master of magic, the king of Dark Magicians!"

"You're not even close, Arkana." Yami said. "What kind of king would extract the soul of his very own Dark Magician? You disrespect your cards and rely on tricks to win! But I'm making sure you'll lose and learn a valuable lesson!"

"What's that, Yume? I couldn't hear you over the hum of the dark energy disc, waiting to send you to the Shadow Realm! Get ready to say goodbye to your Dark Magician, _and_ your mind! I call this duel over. I'm going to pull a stunning victory out of my hat, so pay attention!"

"Sorry, Arkana. But your tricks will have to wait since your turns over! Because it's my turn to take control of this duel." Yami drew her next card. "And since you have no monsters left to defend your Life Points!"

"My Life Points are higher!"

"Not for long because I summon Gazelle The King Of Mythical Beasts!" Her beast showed up.

"Activate SHADOW BALANCE!" Arkana revealed his card. "This trap makes the number of monsters you have on the field equal to the number I have. And since I have no more monsters left, that means all of yours will be destroyed!" A balance shows up.

"No way!" Yami cried out. "That removes the only defense against an attack, which means…"

"They're gone," Arkana finished, "and I can make a direct attack at your Life Points!" Her monsters were destroyed due to Shadow Balance. "Now what will you do? With your Dark Magician destroyed, and with no monsters left on the field. Nothing will save you now! It's over!"

Arkana drew his card, then smiled brightly. "I hold in my hand the winning card! The key to sending your mind to the Shadow Realm and getting Catherine back! Told you I was the true master of the Dark Magician. And what kind of master would have only one Dark Magician in his deck, hmm?"

She gasped. "The first one may be gone, but I have another one, waiting to destroy you! Not only that, I can summon him without sacrificing a weaker monster. Thanks to this card!" He played it. "DARK MAGIC CURTAIN!" A curtain showed up with a skeleton on top.

"Dark Magic Curtain," he explained, "allows me to summon a high-level monster like Dark Magician without a sacrifice, in exchange for half my Life Points." He dropped to 750 Life Points. "Here we go, Dark Magician!"

The curtain was revealed, showing his second Dark Magician. "There's no way you can win now. Remember, my dueling deck was put together specifically to counter your strengths. It's a mix of power and magic makes for an unbeatable show, don't you think? Marik will reward me when I handed him your Dark Magician and tell him your mind's in the Shadow Realm!"

He laughed as Yami growled. _'It won't work, Yami.'_ Yume said to her. _'I'm actually_ _born_ _from the Shadow Realm. My mind won't get sent there, but my whole body will, but not the Puzzle! I'll handle this.'_ Yami's jacket pocket glowed as she reverted to Yume.

"Pay attention," Arkana said, "as my Dark Magician wipes out the last of your Life Points, and ends your dueling career forever! If you thought the show was good before, you won't _want_ to miss _this_ ending, Yume! But because of your face downs, I'll literally wipe them out by using Anti-Magic Arrows!" Yume went wide eyed as Arkana played it.

Arrows came out of the Magic card and stabbed Yume's face downs, rendering them useless during the turn. "You're out of hopes, Yume. This show is over, and I have you pinned down! Dark Magician, make another direct attack at her Life Points and end this!"

His Dark Magician had his staff powered up and charged at Yume, but she stayed brave and smiled. When Dark Magician was about to hit her, Dark Magic Curtain appeared on Yume's side. "I don't think so, Arkana!"

"What's going on?!" Arkana exclaimed. "My Dark Magic Curtain works for you to?!"

"Yes it is. And you should've been reading the rules more closely instead of seeing your victory. It's Magic summoning powers to _both_ sides of the dueling field. That means I can trade half my Life Points for my own monster to come. And I decide so for another kind of Dark Magician!" Her Life Points drop to 350 as the dark energy disc is dangerously close to her.

"Hang on!" Arkana shouted. "You only have _one_ Dark Magician! I was told that you only had one!"

"Who said it had to be Dark Magician himself? You were misinformed! The card that I hold in my hand is a different variety of Dark Magician! And it's even more powerful than yours is!"

"IT CAN'T BE! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! I'D KNOWN A DARK MAGICIAN WHEN I SEE ONE!"

"Oh, it's possible, alright, Arkana!" Yume said as she placed the card down and the curtain opened. "A magician that happens to be my favorite card: DARK MAGICIAN _GIRL_!" She showed up.

"A female Dark Magician! You're wrong about one thing! Her Attack Points is less than my Dark Magician's! My monster will win head to head! Dark Magician, ATTACK DARK MAGICIAN GIRL!" Dark Magician approached her, but she interrupted him and caused a significant counterattack at the last second, creating a big puff of smoke. "Now, you're finished!"

"I would advise you to look again, Arkana." Yume said when the smoke cleared. Dark Magician Girl is still there. And his Dark Magician is turning to dust, destroyed.

"How is it possible?! You're Magician Girl should've been weaker."

"Again, something else you didn't learn. Dark Magician Girl is the pupil of Dark Magician, so she gains an additional 300 Attack Points whenever there's a Dark Magician in the card Graveyard, Arkana. She was strong enough to withstand the attack and destroy yours!"

"That's not high enough! She'd have 2300 with yours in. It's still not enough, and should bring your Life Points down by another 200."

Yume sighed. "You still don't get it. _Any_ Dark Magician in either Graveyard counts, be it red or black! You gave her enough power to help me win this duel, and since another one was sent to the Graveyard, her total Attack Points is now 2900, but you lost only the 100 Point difference. Now, you'll be the loser on this duel!"

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! GET ME OUT NOW!"

"Dark Magician Girl," Yume ordered, "WIPE OUT HIS LIFE POINTS WITH A DIRECT ATTACK!" Dark Magician Girl approached him ever so closely, and used her staff to finish off his Life Points with a major strike. "When you mistreat your cards, a high price is paid." Her key box opened and she wasted no time getting herself free.

"You call yourself a Dark Magician Master? It was your disrespect and your misuse of your own Dark Magicians that caused you to lose your duel, Arkana."

"There would've been no way you could've beaten my, Yume! I am the greatest known magician the world has ever known!"

"There is something I should be sorry for, Arkana. You led me all the way down here, for the sole purpose of losing at your own demented game! You relied on trickery to win instead of trusting and respecting the heart of the cards."

Yume realized that he wasn't paying attention as the dark energy disc is closing in on Arkana. She saw a key near his feet and wasted no time getting to his feet, unlocking the shackles and got him down on the floor before the energy disc got to him right on time!

"Not even," Yume said, "a cheat like you deserves to go to the Shadow Realm." She then noticed that Arkana had the Eye of Horus on his forehead.

"We meet again, Pharaoh's apprentice. I'm sure no introductions were needed because your father has talked to you about me."

"You are such a coward, Marik! Sending your Rare Hunters when you can come to me and meet me face to face!"

"I'm sure we'll meet soon, when the time comes! And once I obtain what's mine, and you know exactly what it is! The Puzzle, as well as the ancient powers of the Pharaoh and his apprentice. Remember when I took control of Bandit Keith?" She remembered her duel with Bandit Keith.

"I almost succeeded in separating you from the Millennium Puzzle forever, but you managed to piece it back together before you and your friend, Yami, were destroyed."

"Tell me why you want their powers. Tell me that _now_!"

"That power is rightfully mine! Once I have it, I'll be unstoppable! The world will belong to me! And no one will stand in the way of destiny! Especially not you!"

"Just watch me, Marik! I'm going to beat you so hard you'll never expect something coming!"

"Listen, Yume. My family has been enslaved for centuries. Protecting the tomb of the Pharaoh and his apprentice until either returns. The Pharaoh never returned from the Shadow Realm when I sent him there, but I failed in taking the Puzzle, as it was passed down to you. And for what?! _I_ should be the Pharaoh!"

"Not a chance, Marik! You're not getting the Pharaoh's _or_ the apprentice's powers, and I'm making sure of it! It belongs to them, not you!"

"Well we'll just see about that, Little Yume. You're nothing but a vessel for the Apprentice's spirit. You could _never_ comprehend her strength. Nor could you stand in my way of getting it! We've given up too much to let someone else claim the throne. I was raised on the ancient scriptures, learning all there is to know about the Pharaoh and his Apprentice."

She nodded because she heard that from Yugi. "As well as the Shadow Games. And the key to that kind of power rests in the Millennium Puzzle and the three Egyption God cards. The problem is, I have to win a duel against you for the Puzzle. After I obtain the Puzzle, it's banishment to the Shadow Realm!"

"First of all, I was _born_ in the Shadow Realm. Second, why would you want to do banish me to the Shadow Realm?"

"So I can make sure you don't get in my way! Once I gain control of the Millennium Puzzle and all three Egyption God cards, _I'll_ be king! And a much more worthy king than the Pharaoh and his apprentice. I bet even _she_ wouldn't know how to harness the great powers that lie dormant within her! I, on the other hand, know full well how to take them from him."

Yume gasped. "And the Millennium Rod I posess will ensure that I get everything that I need!"

"Who has the cards?"

"I have two cards already. And I know where the third one is. But soon enough, my loyal team of Rare Hunters will bring the final card to me! It's only a matter of time, you see." Yume realized where this is heading.

"That is, until I take what is rightfully mine and banish you and the Pharaoh's apprentice to the dreaded Shadow Realm, where you will spend all of eternity while the rest of the world is kneeling before King Marik, the new Pharaoh!" He started laughing.

"You're powerless against me, Yume. My destiny can't be stopped. Don't you see it's only a matter of time?! The three Egyptian God cards, along with the Millennium Puzzle will belong to me! Then I'll strip the Pharaoh's powers and infuse them with myself!"

Yum placed a hand on her Puzzle, thinking that she needs to prevent Marik from getting the Puzzle at all costs. "Marik, you won't defeat me in a duel so you can't get your greedy hands on the Millennium Puzzle!"

"I promise you by the sands of Egypt, the power's of the Pharaoh _will be mine_! Another of my mind slaves is already in Battle City, waiting to defeat you and take your Puzzle! _And_ with an Egyptian God card!" She gasped.

"And the name?"

"You'll find out soon enough, Yume. Until then, beware of the quiet one. And we _will_ meet again!"


	4. Slifer's First Appearance

The first Egyption God is ready for this duel. Get ready to RUMBLE!

Yume was taking a walk out by a bridge where there's open water, pondering about Marik's plan about the powers of the Pharaoh. She needs to ask her father, but not sure if she should talk to him about it or not!

' _How is this possible, Yami?'_ Yume asked her. _'Are you really the Pharaoh's apprentice? And if you_ _do_ _have that kind of power, don't you think we'd know about it? You should've because Pharaoh saved the world with you. But what I'm wondering is, what happened?'_

' _It's still unclear.'_ Yami sighed.

' _We know,'_ Yume added, _'that Marik's family has been protecting your tomb for years, and for some reason, he got this crazy idea that he deserves to be Pharaoh instead of your, what, brother or master?'_

' _The Pharaoh is my father just as Yugi is to you.'_

' _I'll do everything I can to help make sure that Marik doesn't get away with it! As long as he can't beat us, he'll_ _never_ _get the Millennium Puzzle or the hidden powers. We'll never lose, and we have our friends for support!'_

' _That friendship,'_ Yami said, _'means a great deal to me. Together, we'll rescue Yugi from the Shadow Realm! We'll be strong enough to withstand any attack that comes our way!'_ Then she felt something dark as she looked around. _'Something dark is approaching. I can sense it!'_

Yami disappeared as Yume looked around, looking for this dark presence, when she heard her name being called and she turned to the voice. It was some weird person that is different than all the others she met! (Wanna know who this person looks like, exactly? Season 2: Mime Control.)

"Who are you?" She demanded.

"Prepare to duel," the person said, "and lose that Puzzle!"

"MARIK!"

"Yes. And soon, you and the entire world will be calling me Pharaoh! Meet my mind slave- Strings, the Quiet One. And thanks to the power of the Millennium Rod, he shall defeat you!"

"Again, you're such a coward! Using your others to do your bidding when you don't have the courage face to face!"

"Soon enough, Yume. But for now, why should I waste my time when I can duel you through my mind-puppets? Battling with the power of my Millennium Rod is no difference than using the Millennium Puzzle you possess to duel."

"I'd rather call it false! You use your servants to do your dirty work by taking control of their minds against their will. I duel with respect _and_ honor."

"And I'll do what is necessary to claim that Millennium Puzzle."

"You'll need to defeat me first, Marik, and break the heart of the cards. And I can say that it will _never_ happen!"

"Calling yourself the Pharaoh's apprentice, right? You don't know how to harness the power yourself! So destiny has chosen me to take the power of the Pharaoh away from you, and then _destroy you_!"

"The ancient power," Yume said, "is not yours to take. No way you're getting your greedy hands on this Puzzle! Let's get this duel over with, Marik! You know your plan won't work."

"It already has, I'm afraid. I've drawn you into a duel you can't possibly win! It's all over for you, Pharaoh's apprentice!" Yume took out her deck and placed it in her duel disc.

"No more talk!" They both activated their duel disks, and started the duel.

"Prepare to face the force," Marik-Strings said, "of my Egyptian God card!"

"I've heard enough, Marik! It's time to DUEL! And you and your mind-slave will _never_ win the Puzzle, Marik!"

"We'll see soon." Marik-Strings drew one card. "I'll place a face down and summon a monster in Attack Mode." He set it down. "HUMANOID SLIME!" A slime in armor appeared. (ATK/DEF Points: 800/2000.) "The beginning of your end, Pharaoh's apprentice. So now, make your move. And prepare to lose everything."

"You _will_ fail!" Yume draws her next card. _It's a very weak monster, so he_ _wants_ _me to attack it! He'll use the face down next to destroy my monster. He's not getting away with it!_ "First off, one face down. Then summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in Attack." Her beast showed up. "Stronger than yours!"

"It is almost twice as strong as mine. But don't get confidence that your Gazelle will prevail. It takes more than strength to win this duel."

"I'm aware of that, Marik."

"Then you won't be surprised when my Humanoid Slime annihilates your monster!"

"I'd like to see you _try_ that, Marik."

Marik-Strings drew his their next card. "I summon Worm Drake!" He summoned a worm with an eyeball inside that's all green and yellow outside. (ATK/DEF Points: 1400/1500.) "Now, my Magic card will activate: POLYMERIZATION! My Humanoid Slime and Worm Drake will be fused together to create my new weapon!"

Both of his monsters fused into a more powerful Humanoid Slime, but with claws instead. (ATK/DEF Points: 2200/2000.) "HUMANOID WORM DRAKE! 2200 is strong enough to wipe out Gazelle, along with a portion of your Life Points!"

"There's that catch, Marik. When you fuse together two monsters, you must wait one turn before you can attack! So, you wasted it, Marik, and left yourself wide open."

"That's no concern because rules are meant to be manipulated. My face down will prove it! I've outsmarted you, Pharaoh's apprentice!" He revealed it. "QUICK ATTACK!"

"NO WAY! You _can_ attack!"

"Very perceptive, Pharaoh's apprentice. Quick attack allows my monster to attack in the same turn it was built! You must've underestimated me as a duelist, and for that you must pay a price. So watch as I destroy your monster and move one step closer to relieving you of the Millennium Puzzle forever! I'm afraid you're no match for me, Pharaoh's apprentice!"

Yume said nothing, but braced the attack about to come. "DESTROY HER GAZELLE, MY BEAST!" His beast started approaching Gazelle, but Yume had a plan all along.

"Hold on, Marik!" She revealed her face down. "DIFFUSION IS UNDER WAY! One monster becomes back to two!" Humanoid Worm Drake split back into Worm Drake and Humanoid Slime.

"You actually knew it from the start."

"As soon as you played a weak monster like Humanoid Slime in Attack, I knew you were trying to lure me into attacking."

"I thought you'd fell for it."

"That's what I wanted you to think, but I was really luring you into using your own Magic card so I could reverse it. I was hoping for a far more challenging duel from you, Marik, but all you've did was disappoint me."

"It's far from over, Pharaoh's apprentice."

"You won't win the Millennium Puzzle if you continue dueling like that!"

"You're as smart as they say you are. But that last turn was only a test. I will not be denied my victory _or_ your Puzzle!"

"You will if you keep up on the amateur moves."

"You'll be able to witness my true dueling skills in due time. And once I defeat you, I'll become the new Pharaoh and banish you to the Shadow Realm! The relentless power of my Egyptian God card will deliver me your Puzzle and assure you destruction! Prepare to face a force the likes of which you have never seen! The Puzzle and power will soon be mine!"

"Only if you win, Marik!" Yume draws her next card: Buster Blader. _He's too strong to waste on a weaker monsters. But I'm sure it'll come in handy when Marik plays something powerful, so I'll hold it until the time is right!_ "Time to dispose you of your weak monsters!"

She summons Beta the Magnet Warrior. "ATTACK THE WORM DRAKE!" Beta released a burst of electricity at Worm Drake, destroying it. "Gazelle, DESTROY HUMANOID SLIME WITH CLAWS OF DESTRUCTION!" Gazelle charged at Humanoid Slime, destroying it with a single slash.

"The difference," Yume added, "in the Attack strengths means a 1000 Points lose!" (3000) "And with no monsters to defend your Life Points, I can end this duel if you don't do nothing on your next turn."

"An impressive dueling, Pharaoh's apprentice. But I'm just testing out your strengths and weaknesses, so that I can ultimately destroy you and take away all that you possess! Time for round two, and this duel is about to get interesting!"

He drew is next card, then turned to Yume. "The card I hold now," he said, "is like nothing you've ever seen before. A creature that simply can't be destroyed. A shapeless being made completely of plasma, with no solid mass, making it utterly indestructible and the perfect defense against enemy attack."

"I'm still waiting, Marik!"

"Then get ready," he said and placed the card down, "to experience Revival Jam in Defense!" A shapeless jam appeared on Marik-Strings' field. "Not sure what it does? Attack it and find out."

"It's actually weak to me."

"Doesn't it? Just take a look at this!" Yume gasped as Marik-Strings plays a Magic card as a whirlwind showed up! When it disappeared, a machine showed up. "JAM BREEDING MACHINE! And it begins the countdown to your destruction!" Something was going on inside the machine.

"I bet you're asking yourself, 'What does it do?' I'll explain. Think of it as a monster-creating machine, breathing life into a new plasma creature every turn. And this machine will continue to provide me with more and more plasma beasts called Slime Tokens!"

"It's obviously your plan, Marik. You're going to produce plasma monsters until you have enough to sacrifice and summon your Egyptian God card."

"Very impressive, Pharaoh's apprentice. Too bad you can't stop me! Once my Breeding Machine creates three Slime Tokens I'll be able to summon the monster that will bring about your ultimate destruction: MY EGYPTIAN GOD CARD! Then the Puzzle will belong to me, forever!"

Yume knew that she might have a tough time defeating his Egyptian God, but decided to act like a tough girl. "Sorry, Marik!" She said with courage. "But as long as I believe in the heart of the cards, your plan will _never_ work." Yume placed a hand on the top of her deck. "Prepare to lose!"

She drew it, then looked at her hand, thinking Buster Blader is the perfect time to end it. _I'll need to,_ she thought, _wipe out Marik's Life Points before his breeding monster creates three monsters in total!_ "Now for sacrificing my two monsters on the field!" Her monsters disappeared in exchange for one. "My all-powerful BUSTER BLADER!" She placed it down.

"My expert swordsman has the power to wipe out your Revival Jam _and_ more than half of your Life Points!" Her swordsman appeared in dark purple armor. (ATK/DEF Points: 2600/2300.)

"That Attack strength is quite impressive, Pharaoh's apprentice, but it's still useless against my Revival Jam."

"We shall see, Marik! Buster Blader, DESTROY HIS REVIVAL JAM!" Buster Blader jumped in the air, then slashed it at Revival Jam, splitting it into multiple slime balls, only to have them reassemble themselves into Revival Jam again, as though it was unhindered.

Marik-Strings laughed. "I told you Revival Jam employed the perfect defense. Even the most powerful sword cannot destroy my plasma monster. It will _always_ reform itself."

"So, I won't be able to attack?!"

"You can, it'll just be worthless to do so!" He laughed again. "He'll protect my Life Points while my breeding machine continues to create monsters for my ultimate sacrifice!"

 _There's_ _gotta_ _be another way to drop his Life Points and fast!_ "Your dueling days," Marik-Strings gloated, "are almost over, Pharaoh's apprentice. Soon, my breeding machine will have created enough monsters to sacrifice. Then comes your worst nightmare! MY EGYPTIAN GOD CARD!"

He drew his first card, and a Slime Token appears. (ATK/DEF Points: 500/500.) "Slime Token number one! I'll place one face down and end my turn. Two turns left, and then you'll meet your doom! And soon, that Puzzle's mine."

"I may not be able to stop that breeding machine!" Yume called out. "But that doesn't mean I can't attack your Slime Tokens! Remember, you need three according to the rules. But what happens if I destroy them first? Your Slime Tokens are defenseless against the superior attack of Buster Blader. I can take them out with no risk!"

Yume gained lots of confidence in saying the next bit. "And each time Buster Blader destroys a Slime Token, you'll lose over 2000 Life Points because they're so feeble. And if my calculations is true, you'll lose in just two turns. ATTACK HIS SLIME TOKEN, BUSTER BLADER!"

Her swordsman came after the Token, but Marik-Strings planned it all along. "Or don't! Reveal facedown!" A Continuous Trap was revealed. "JAM DEFENDER!" Yume gasped as Revival Jam went in front of the Slime Token, taking the hit from Buster Blader, then reformed itself again.

"REVIVAL JAM SHIELDED YOUR MONSTER?!"

"Exactly, Pharaoh's apprentice. And as long as Revival Jam is in Defense, Jam Defender forces it to absorb _all_ of your attacks! Which means every one of them will be blocked! I knew you'd attack my Slime Tokens in a desperate attempt to stop me from summoning my Egyptian God card! So I protected them with an indestructible force! THE END IS NEAR!"

Yume gasped. "Now, for another beast to sacrifice." He drew his next card, then Slime Token number two appeared.

"There's only one turn left, Pharaoh's apprentice! Then my Egyptian God card will be summoned to destroy you! But just to be safe," he played a Magic card, "I'll active this Magic card, Nightmare's Steel Cage, and for the next two turns, you can't attack me."

Flame pillars showed up around Yume and her monster as they formed a cage with spikes. "Now," Marik-Strings added, "all you can do is watch while I summon the most powerful force you've ever seen to ANNIHILATE YOU! And you seem to be out of options, thanks to my Nightmare's Steel Cage. You can't attack whatsoever!" Yume just growled softly.

"One last turn, and then you'll be finished with the Millennium Puzzle being around my neck!"

"You won't get it, Marik!" Yume called out. "Believing in the heart of the cards will prove that you'll be defeated. And that means you can't get your greedy hands on it, you coward!"

"That misguided faith," Marik-Strings countered, "is completely pathetic when compared to the overwhelming power of my Egyptian God card! To which, I was able to get back. But you'll see that firsthand in just one more turn when my breeding machine produces the third Slime Token, giving me enough monsters to sacrifice!" Yume stared into his eyes.

"Then," he added, "I'll be able to summon my great beast: an ancient creature of unbeatable strength to destroy you!" She gasped lightly.

"And since history is on your side, Pharaoh's apprentice, but destiny will is on mine as I draw closer to winning the Puzzle that you hold inside your jacket pocket. And once I possess, only the final Egyptian God card will be left to claim. And when that happens, I'll be the Pharaoh! You're not worthy of the powers that lie hidden within you. So, I'll take them!" Yume said nothing.

"For as long as I can remember, I was taught to obey the ancient scriptures, and to help my family protect the Pharaoh's tomb along with his apprentice. And now that I realized that your time as the Pharaoh's apprentice has expired, and I must take the Pharaoh's place! And that Puzzle is the key to obtaining it!"

 _What is he saying about this 'ancient past?'_ Yume thought. _But that's not the point right now. Right now, I can't let Marik win!_ Yume draws her card. "I'll just end my turn."

Marik-Strings laughed. "That's a smart move because your time has run out anyway." He drew his next card as he gets his third Slime Token.

' _I knew at some point this would happen, Yume.'_ Yami told her. _'Be careful about his Egyptian God! Who knows which one it is.'_

' _I'll keep that in mind, Yami! But I think it's Slifer the Sky Dragon. He wouldn't summon Ra because it'll be a monster with 1500 Attack Points, to weak for Buster Blader! Obelisk, well, I'm not sure. We'll see in just a bit!'_

Yume saw just in time to see Marik-Strings' three Slime Tokens disappearing and Jam Breeding Machine destroyed in a bolt of lightning. "Now I can summon," he said as he placed his monster down, "the beast of your ultimate destruction! A creature whose power is absolutely limitless!"

She looked up and saw a vortex. "Meet your maker, Pharaoh's apprentice!" An orb of light with an electrical surface fell down as a beam until it hits the ground. "The last monster you'll ever see! The Egyptian God SLIFER THE SKY DRAGON!" The beam cleared, revealing the _longest_ red snake with dragon wings and claws, with a black body and two mouths.

"You're finished, Yume! Prepare to feel his wrath!" Slifer let out a roar as Yume questioned herself on how to stop it. "You're staring into the face of defeat, Pharaoh's apprentice! Slifer the Sky Dragon is one of the three most feared creatures in history: The Egyptian God monsters. They cannot be defeated!"

"All monsters have a weakness, Marik! Whatever it is, I'll discover it on Slifer!"

"You," Marik-Strings countered, "are in no position to make threats! You're trapped in my Nightmare's Steel Cage, with no way to attack. And you're face to face with an Egyptian God monster whose Attack power is limitless! All you can do is watch it grow stronger!"

"But how can Slifer get stronger?!"

"Let me explain how it works. The number cards I hold in my hand determines the Attack Points of Slifer. And since I hold two, it has 2000 Attack Points."

"That'll be a problem when the cage is gone and my Buster Blader can attack it down because he's weaker than my monster."

"It's just the beginning. Thanks to my Magic card Pot of Greed, by which I activate. I can draw two cards, which is good for me. I lost one, but gained two, which means Slifer's at 3000."

"But there's a catch! In Duel Monsters, there's a limit to how many cards a player can hold, which means there's a limit on Slifer's Attack Power!"

"You still don't get it, Pharaoh's apprentice! Every rule is made to be broken, don't you think? And I'm afraid any hopes you have of survival are completely in vain, for no one has _ever_ defeated an Egyptian God card before! Except for one, that is."

"Better make it two people, Marik! My father has defeated _all three_ before, and I plan on defeating you!"

"Such a fool you are! Slifer can take you out in one single attack! Then I'll take your Puzzle and send you to a place of eternal darkness: THE SHADOW REALM! And get ready to lose this duel, Pharaoh's apprentice!"

 _I have to bring down Marik's Slifer at some point! Buster Blader receives 500 Attack Points for every dragon on the field, so right now, Buster Blader is stronger than Slifer. 3100 can beat 3000, which means Slifer is destroyed. But as long as this cage is up, I can't attack. And by the time I can, it'll already be too late!_

"You see now?" Marik-Strings asked. "My Sky Dragon will only get stronger as I draw more cards. So when I draw on my next turn, Slifer would have 4000, more than enough to wipe out Buster Blader with a serious damage in your Life Points! And soon enough, you'll be out of my way." She growled.

"And easy way for you not to face this wrath is to just hand over the Puzzle and accept defeat!"

"Never, Marik! I'll trust my deck." She drew her next card: Lightforce Sword. _It'll be useful later, but one more turn trapped. I'll need to hang on until then, so this duel can be turned around. I'll have to trust in the heart of the cards._ "This duel is far from over, Marik!"

"How sad because you're finished. Just embrace it. You've had the chance to rescue your father, Yume. And now, it's time for me to take over and rule the world."

 _I'll be preventing that, Marik. It's my destiny_ _and_ _the time to stop you and rescue Father!_ She placed three cards down: Two face down and a monster in Defense. "Two face down, and Kuriboh in Defense. And now it's your turn!"

"The moment has now arrived! And prepare to feel the wrath of an Egyptian God card!" The cage started to dissipate. "And the Steel Cage is evaporating, leaving you wide open for annihilation! You're about to witness an ancient force so mighty that it almost destroyed the entire world!" Slifer roared again.

"You're powerless against Slifer! Let's end this!" Marik-Strings drew their next card, raising Slifer's ATK to 4000. "The Attack power is enough to incinerate Buster Blader! Now, my Egyptian God monster, ATTACK!" Slifer opened one mouth, and released a torrent of energy from it, aiming towards Buster Blader, but Yume had plans for that.

"One Trap, coming right up!" She activated it. "LIGHTFORCE SWORD! It will allow me to slash one card out of from your hand for the duration of this turn!" A sword came from the trap and pinned down one of his cards. "Not only that," she added, "Slifer loses 1000 Attack Points, dropping him to 3000, and since you attacked, Buster Blader will now counterattack!"

The attack almost connected, but Buster moved out of the way just in time. "Buster Blader," she ordered, "SWING YOUR MIGHTY SWORD AND SLAY HIS DRAGON!" Buster came after Slifer, but Revival Jam got in front, taking the blow instead due to Jam Defender.

Revival Jam reformed. "You forgot that Jam Defender lets Revival Jam block _all_ attacks you throw at." He said as he played a Magic card down. "Card of Safe Return!"

' _Careful, Yume!'_ Yami warned. _'Whenever a monster gets revived, Marik can draw three new cards from his deck! That's what Card of Safe Return does.'_

' _Thanks, Yami. I'll need to be cautious in what monsters I play.'_

Yume nodded just when Slifer attacked, destroying Buster Blader without anything else, destroying him. Yume let out a short scream as he Life Points drop to 2100. "Do you surrender yet? You're finished. Slifer will only get stronger. And thank to Jam Defender, you still can't attack, Pharaoh's apprentice. For if you do, I'll draw more cards, and Slifer will get even more powerful."

Yume is starting to feel weak from Slifer's attack and got down on her knees. _'Yami, I've been unsteady since Slifer attack! Can we switch quickly?'_

' _Sure, Yume. You only need to say the word. When your recovered, say the word and we'll switch again.'_ The Puzzle glowed as Yami took Yume's place and stood up. "Hand over your Puzzle," Marik-Strings insisted.

"Once my Egyptian God card finishes you off, Your days with the Pharaoh's power will be over!" He laughed as Yami looked at her hand.

' _None of them are strong enough to beat Slifer, but even then, there's Jam Defender. If only we can take out that Trap, or better yet, remove Jam Defender from the field. How can we possibly win now?'_

' _Yami, believe in the heart of the cards! You'll get what you need.'_

Yami trusted Yume and believed as she drew her next card: Magic Cylinder. _'I just drew Magic Cylinder, Yume, but there's a catch! I need a Spellcaster to play this Trap and I didn't see one.'_

' _Dark Magician Girl?'_ Yami looked again, and sure enough, Dark Magician Girl is there! "Here we go, Marik! I'll sacrifice Kuriboh as a tribute!" Kuriboh disappeared in a whirlwind. "In order to play a stronger monster known as Dark Magician Girl in Defense!" She showed up with a wink, then looked at Yami with a nod.

' _She still knows us, Yami! I hope the real one isn't hurt after this.'_

"By summoning," Marik-Strings said, "a new monster to the field, you've triggered Slifer's special ability!" Yami gasped as Slifer's second mouth, the higher one, started to open. "You've opened Slifer's second mouth!"

"Slifer is full of surprises, isn't he? What's his second mouth do?"

"Even if it's your turn, Slifer will automatically attack every monster you summon with its second set of jaws, wiping out 2000 Points from whichever mode your monster is in. So, say goodbye to Dark Magician Girl!"

"NO! She has only 1700 Defense!" Yami shouted out. _'Yami, Magical Hats!'_ Yume called out as Yami looked and saw the card.

"Slifer, ATTACK!" Slifer's second mouth released some energy at Dark Magician Girl, but Yami quickly played a Magic card just before the attack connected. "Looks like Dark Magician Girl left us. A pity that she had to leave us so soon." Yami just smiled and said nothing. "She's gone!"

"Look again!" Yami said as three identical hats showed up. "Magical Hats was played just in time. She's inside one of them, preparing to launch a counterattack."

"She's not even strong enough to defeat Slifer! How can you even make her strong enough to withstand the attack!"

"It's true that Slifer's very powerful, Marik." Yami said. "But I have faith." Yami placed two cards down as Magical Hats covered them. "I'll hide two cards inside the Magical Hats, so now, it's your turn."

"Those hats merely provide you with a temporary hiding place. And in the meantime, Pharaoh's apprentice," Mairk-Strings drew their next card, "I'll play my next Magic card, which will make Slifer's power _infinite_!" He did so. "Infinite Cards will let me exceed the six-card hand limit and hold as many as I wish in my hand!"

"IMPOSSIBLE!"

"And since Slifer's Attack Points are 1000 times the number of cards in my hand, there's no limit to Slifer's power! Slifer Unleash your Thunder Force!" Slifer started charging up as Marik-Strings ordered him to attack the right-hand hat.

"Lucky guess, Marik!"

"You couldn't hide her in one forever, I'll be able to get to her eventually." Slifer unleashed his power at the hat.

"It's not over yet, Marik!" The attack connected, destroying the hat, but surprisingly, not Yami's monster. Instead, Magic Cylinder took it's place. And absorbed Slifer's attack in one barrel.

"The attack is getting absorbed!"

"That's right, Marik." Yami said as she revealed both face downs. "You've forgotten I hid two cards under them! Magic Cylinder and Spellbinding Circle. First off, the attack gets absorbed. Then Slifer gets weaker. Finally, his thunder force attack will be redirected right back at him!"

Dark Magician Girl lowered her wand down quickly, letting the other Cylinder spit out Slifer's attack at him, only to have Revival Jam get in front of Slifer, taking the blow and getting reformed again. "Revival Jam can even block redirected attacks?!"

"Precisely, Pharaoh's apprentice. Then it regenerates unharmed, which also means I get to draw three more cards, raising Slifer's attack by another 3000. Then I'll be drawing again, raising it to a total of over 8000!"

Yami is looking scared against it, thinking that Slifer is unstoppable. "Not only that, Spellbinding Circle will expire, as the few Magic and Trap cards used on an Egyptian God only goes for one turn. And he'll be at full power at 9000! DEMOLISH HIS DARK MAGICIAN GIRL!"

Slifer attacked again, this time destroying Dark Magician Girl. "The five-card combo that I have," he added, "makes me completely indestructible! When all five of them are played together, they complete a strategy that cannot be defeated! My Egyptian God will continue to grow stronger, and you're attacks are completely useless!"

Yami slowly got down on her knees. _'Yume, I'm not sure how to beat Slifer now! The counterattack failed because of Revival Jam! I don't think we can win this.'_

' _Shut up, Yami! That's not you! My father would've_ _never_ _given up on just one measly strategy!'_

' _True, but-'_

' _But nothing, Yami! Look up and to the side.'_ Yami did so, and saw Seto Kaiba. "Since when," he said, " do you bow to your rivals?"

"Never, Kaiba!"

"Then get up and stop embarrassing yourself, so you can defeat this nobody and relieve him of his Egyptian God card, and do it now! Don't let this punk win. You _can_ take down Slifer the Sky Dragon! All you need to do is find his weakness! Unless, of course, you've lost your touch. If you still have what it takes, then get back up and prove it to me now!"

Yuma realized what he's saying and started getting back up. _Once the weakness is learned,_ he thought, _I'll use it against Yume and claim Slifer as my own so I can be unstoppable with the most powerful deck in the world!_

"Prove that you're worthy of your reputation and take down his Egyptian God card, Slifer the Sky Dragon. Unless you don't have what it takes. Maybe your Duelist Kingdom championship victory was just a fluke!"

Yami got fully up on her feet. "I _will_ defeat him, Kaiba! I assure you that Marik will be defeated!"

"If you can, which is a no show, because my Egyptian God is unstoppable! Not only that, Kaiba," Marik-Strings looked at him, "you're my next victim. Once Slifer annihilates Yume Orskov, I'll be coming after Obelisk, to which _you_ have, Kaiba!"

"Save your breath, Marik, because your empty threats don't scare me."

"They will in time, fool!" He looked at Yami when she indicated that the duel isn't over yet.

' _How can I stop Slifer from hitting me, Yume? If I don't have any monsters to defend, Marik will_ _crush_ _me!'_

' _All you need is two cards to do this, Yami. But since you don't have it, it's best to place monsters that have Defense Points of over 2000. So far, Slifer has 10000, and he'll continue to grow with every card Marik draws. There's a weakness, I know it!_

"My turn, and I'll draw." Yami drew her next card: Monster Reborn. _'One more card, Yami. And it's important that the next card_ _has_ _to be it. Let's play Big Shield Gardna in Defense. He may lose Defense Points, but he'll be safe with 600 left over.'_ Yami nodded as she played one card face down and summoned it in Defense.

To which, Slifer immediately used his second mouth, dropping Big Shield's DEF Points by 2000 and creating a big smoke. "I'm well aware of Slifer's ability, Marik."

"She won't last long, Big Brother!" Mokuba cried out.

"Hang tight, Mokuba." Seto reassured. "She'll last long enough to learn Slifer's weakness."

"How'll she do that? That dragon will continue to keep growing stronger!" The smoke cleared, revealing that Big Shield Gardna is still there, but with 2000 DEF Points less. (600)

"You're Big Shield," Marik-Strings gloated, "has been cut down to size, and my Egyptian God card will continue to automatically devastate your monsters as soon as they're summoned to the field!" He laughed. "This one attack will render you defenseless. Leaving nothing between you and Slifer! Where's that faith in the cards now, Pharaoh's apprentice?"

 _Pharaoh's apprentice?_ Kaiba thought. _How is Yume the Pharaoh's apprentice? Yume's just a regular kid who's the daughter of Yugi Muto, my eternal rival duelist! I haven't seen him since that duel with Marik. From what I can tell, I'll have to ask Yume when this duel is over._

"Observe while I draw!" He did so, raising Slifer's ATK Points by another 1000, bringing him to 1100.

"That's almost three times as you Blue Eyes, Seto!"

"And it'll only get stronger, Mokuba! With Infinite Cards in play, it'll allow him to hold as many number of cards as he wants."

Mokuba gasped. "And the more cards in his hand, the more Attack Points Slifer has. That means that there's no limit to how strong his Egyptian God card can grow!"

 _Or is there?_ Seto thought doubtfully. _Hang on! Slifer's power depends on how many cards the player has in their entire deck!_ It clicked in Seto's mind. _That's it! Slifer the Sky Dragon has one fatal flaw. I want to see if Yume is like her father and figure it out before it's too late!_

"Slifer, ATTACK! ERADICATE HER SHIELD, THE ONLY THING THAT STANDS IN THE WAY OF HER DESTRUCTION!" Marik-Strings ordered as Slifer released _a lot_ of energy on Big Shield Gardna, rendering him destroyed. "Soon, that Puzzle and the world will be mine!"

 _I know exactly,_ Seto thought, _how to defeat this Egyptian God card. I want to see if Yume's like her father and figure it out right now._

"You are now defenseless, Pharaoh's apprentice! The next turn that my Slifer can attack, he'll wipe out the rest of your Life Points, bringing a devastating defeat _and_ overkill! It's undefeatable!"

' _He can't win, Yume, but it seems we have nothing to win against now.'_

' _SHUT UP, YAMI! There's a weakness to Slifer! Listen: Slifer's Attack is dependant to the number of cards Marik has in his hand, right?'_

' _Yes, what are you trying to say?'_

' _I've figured out how to defeat Slifer, but I need to take over! I think I've recovered!'_

' _Be safe, Yume.'_ The Puzzle glowed again as Yume took Yami's place. "Slifer will be defeated, Marik! But this time, by himself!"

"What makes you think you can?!" Marik-Strings countered.

"Well," she started, "it's a simple matter of common sense. If all of my monsters are too weak, then I'll use your monster to destroy itself!"

"Haven't you realized yet that an Egyptian God card cannot be controlled? It's much too powerful, Pharaoh's apprentice!"

"We'll see!" Yume said as Marik-Strings was confused. "Perhaps you don't have as much knowledge about the Egyptian God card as you think you do!"

"How _dare_ you challenge my wisdom of the ancient ways. I KNOW ALL!"

"We'll find out just how much you really know soon enough, Marik!"

"I'd like to see you try to turn Slifer against me! Make your last move, Pharaoh's apprentice!"

"We'll see soon enough, Marik!" Yume reminded as she was about to draw her next card. _I_ _have_ _to draw this next card and get the one I need!_ She thought. _If I don't, then I'm useless for a win because Slifer will_ _destroy me_ _! Heart of the cards, don't fail me now._

Yume drew her card. "This is it, Marik! The card that'll defeat you! First off, I'll reveal my face down!" Yume did so. "Monster Reborn!"

"What good will that do for you?"

"It allows me to bring back a fallen monster sent to the Graveyard. And I'm choosing my mighty Buster Blader! RETURN NOW!" Buster Blader returned.

"My dragon already destroyed that monster once. And also, summoning it to defend your Life Points only delays your ultimate defeat!"

"Who says I was bringing him back in Defense? I'm bringing him back in the offense! I know I can't win by defending. That's why I'm risking this entire duel on one final sword attack from Buster Blader!"

"You're more of a fool than I thought. Not only that, but since Buster Blader was revived, I draw three more cards, increasing Slifer's attack by another 3000." He did so. "Not only that, but Buster Blader loses 2000 Attack Points due to Slifer's second mouth."

Slifer released a small amount of energy against Buster Blader, bringing his ATK Points down to 1100. "My next attack will finish you off forever! Your Buster Blader may have survived _that_ blast, but it's still no match against my Egyptian God card! The Pharaoh has a zero chance of coming back, so prepare to surrender your Puzzle! My next turn will give me the win!"

"I'm afraid that there isn't going to be a next turn for you, Marik! Once Buster Blader attacks you Egyptian God card, _you'll_ be the one defeated! Now, watch as my plan to slay your so-called indestructible dragon begins! Time to end this duel and give me the win."

"I'm ready for that pathetic attack, Pharaoh's apprentice!"

"And as you know, my plan is on strict timing, so if I mess up on it, the win goes for you. Buster Blader, ATTACK SLIFER THE SKY DRAGON WITH YOUR POWERFUL BLADE!" Buster raised his sword and prepared to slash at Slifer, but due to Jam Defender, Revival Jam got in the way, getting splattered by Buster Blader.

"You're attacks been blocked, and my Revival Jam will reform itself now." The droplets of Revival Jam started moving on to Marik's side as Yume waits for the perfect moment to do so, until…

"NOW!" She said as she played a card. "I ACTIVATE BRAIN CONTROL! NOW TO CONTROL YOUR MONSTER!"

"It's not that quite simple. Sorry, Yume. I'm afraid all Magic cards are completely ineffective against Egyptian God monsters! And now you'll pay the price for making such a foolish mistake!"

Yume just smiled. "Don't be so sure, Marik. Who told you I was after your dragon? There's another monster on your field I'm after, and I'll be controlling him!" The plasma of Revival Jam start reforming on Yume's side. "Brain Control," she said, "will seize your Revival Jam!" Revival Jam is completely reformed on Yume's side.

"What could you possible do with Revival Jam? It can't hurt my dragon, so it's of no use to you!"

Yume just sighed. "You still don't get it, Marik. Since Revival Jam has been reformed, draw your three new cards, Marik!"

"That'll raise the strength of my Egyptian God card by another 3000 Points. And with every card I draw, my monster will get even stronger!" He drew those cards, raising the ATK Points of Slifer to 17000. "Now, it's time for me to defeat you, Pharaoh's apprentice! Slifer, wipe out Buster Blader and the rest of her Life Points!"

"I'm afraid it won't happen, Marik! Slifer's second mouth has to attack any new monster that appears on my side of the field!" Marik-Strings gasped as Slifer's second mouth starts to charge. "Before you can destroy me, Revival Jam has to be hit before my Buster Blader!"

The attack connected, destroying Revival Jam. "You know what happens next, don't you think?" Revival Jam reformed on Yume's side of the field. "And each time a monster regenerates, you draw three more cards from your dueling deck!"

Marik-Strings did so, but then Slifer attacked Revival Jam again using its second mouth, creating a never-ending cycle: Destruction of Revival Jam; Revival Jam regenerates on Yume's side; Marik-Strings draw three more cards. The chain will continue to go on and on until…

Revival Jam came back on Yume's side after another Slifer's ability attack. Marik-Strings had to follow Card of Safe Return, but he felt no more cards. When he looked, his entire deck is empty! "You've run out of cards to draw, Marik, to satisfy a drawing ability!" Yume pointed out. "Which means you lose this duel."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Marik-Strings got down on his knees as Yume approached him.

"Yume won this duel!" Mokuba cried out as he went down there. "That must've been the most epic comeback I've ever seen!" He approached Marik-Strings. "Hand over Slifer the Sky Dragon to Yume Orskov, Tournament rules!" But he received no response. "Wake up already! I mean, no one likes to lose, but rules are rules, you know? It's just a game, mister."

Mokuba looked down and saw Slifer the Sky Dragon and picked it up. Then he walked over to Yume and handed it to her, to which she accepted it. She also picked up one Locator card. Then Seto Kaiba approached her.

"Yume." He said and she turned to him. "So you figured out how to defeat Slifer the Sky Dragon." He let out a small smile. "Well done. It's also a real shame that you won't have it for too long."

"Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't."

"Because you and I are going to duel for it right now! And then, when I defeat you, Slifer the Sky Dragon will be where it belongs: in _my_ deck! You see, I'm in possession of one Egyptian God card, and I plan to win the others. And once I win Slifer from you, I'll need just one more. Then I can be the number one duelist in the world again!"

Yume growled softly, but Marik-Strings has returned. "Silly fools!" He called out and they both looked at him.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR MINDS TRICKS, MARIK!" She exploded, which surprised the Kaiba Brothers. "Show yourself!"

"Not to worry, Pharoah's apprentice, you'll meet me sooner than you think. I'm on my way to Battle City as we speak for the second time. And once I'm there, the next phase of my plan will begin. And I assure you that the powers of the Pharaoh will be mine, Apprentice! My loyal mind servants are preparing for my arrival right now."

"Where are they?"

"I have Rare Hunters everywhere in Battle City. And I can see all! I see the Millennium Puzzle that will be mine. And I see a defenseless city waiting to be conquered. And I see every potential mind-slaves in every crowd. I'm always searching for new servants to add to my army of Rare Hunters. I wonder who'll be next. So tell me: Which of your friends would make the best mind-slave?"

"You leave them alone! Let this be a warning! Understand?"

"It appears I've hit your sensitive spot, haven't I, Pharaoh's apprentice? Perhaps I can use your friends to get what I want from you. Namely, the Millennium Puzzle and getting Slifer the Sky Dragon back!"

"I'm saying this again, Marik. Keep my friends out of this!"

"Or else you'll what? Your friends are meaningless to me. And besides, I have nothing to lose and the whole world to gain!" He laughed.

"Do _not_ test me, Marik! If any harm befalls my friends, _you will_ regret it. They did nothing to you, so you settle your score with me and me alone!"

"Just as my dragon's one weakness destroyed it, your loyalties to your friends will soon destroy you." Strings then falls to the ground.

"My friends." Yume said as she turned around and head to the pier very quickly!

"Get back here, Yume!"

She stopped. "Kaiba," she said, "if my friends are in danger, our duel has to wait. Any other reason, and I'd duel you. Their safety is more important to me than anything in the world! Sure, I've only known them during the time I was here, but I still consider them friends because they're Father's friends, too!"

Kaiba closed his eyes and chuckled lightly, then opened his eyes again. "Just one more question, Yume. Is your father-" He was about to say, but Yume was not there.

"She ran off to get to her friends, Seto." Mokuba informed him.

a/n Now, Yume has Slifer the Sky Dragon, one of the three Egyptian God cards! Also, I had to do that last bit because I'd thought it'd be funny.


	5. Double Trouble

Hey! Hope you enjoy. Again, Yume is the only character I own!

* * *

Yume and Seto are checking in certain places in Battle City to find her friends, Joey and Téa. When suddenly, a Rare Hunter jumped down in front of them, laughing.

"Where are my friends, Rare Hunter?!" Yume demanded.

The Rare Hunter got up. "That's for us to know! And, Seto Kaiba, look who else is coming with us." A heavy wind storm was around, and a helicopter appeared, and Mokuba was there.

"MOKUBA!" Seto cried out.

"SETO!" His little brother called out. "Please help me!"

"Let my brother go _now_!"

"He'll be fine for now. But his future's up in the air!"

"Mokuba." Seto said quietly, then turned to the Rare Hunter. "If you so much as touch one hair on my brother's head, I promise I'll hunt you all down and crush every one of you with the weight of the entire Kaiba Corporation!"

Rare Hunter just laughed. "Your empty threats will get you nowhere, but there is one way to save your brother."

"Tell me!"

Rare Hunter pointed at a tall building with blue glass panes. "Meet us at the top of that building, Kaiba. That is, if you ever expect to see your brother again. The choice is yours!" The helicopter flew away with Mokuba screaming out. "But Kaiba's not the only one whose presence is required. If you expect to be reunited with your friends, you'll join us as well, Yume Orskov."

"Listen to me!" Yume called out warningly. "I'm warning you to leave them alone!" The Rare Hunter just continued laughing.

"I'll see you both shortly. Remember to meet us up on that roof!" He laughed as he left them, jumping up to the roofs of the houses.

Seto and Yume faced each other. "Looks like we have no choice, Kaiba. Our only hope is to duel together!"

"That's right. Because our enemies are one and the same! But make no mistake. I'm in this for Mokuba. When it comes to rescuing your friends, you're on your own, Yume."

"That's fine enough. This truce is only temporary! Once we assure that Mokuba and my friends are safe, we'll go back to being rivals!"

So they decided to show up, with Yami in place and facing not one, but _two_ Rare Hunters! "I see," one of them said, "that you both decide to show up. A wise choice."

"Yes, we know." Yami said. "Now, tell us what the meaning of this is all about!"

"We've kept our end of the deal, so why don't you honor yours and release the prisoners?"

"I'm afraid," the Rare Hunter they met said, "it's not that quite simple. You two will have to duel us first. If you win, you'll see your friends and loved ones back." He laughed a bit. "But before we begin, allow us to introduce ourselves!" He then tilted his head up so the sunlight can see his face. "Lumis!"

The other Rare Hunter did the same thing. "Umbra!"

"You defeated us," Lumis explained, "once before. But this time, I assure you won't be so lucky in this duel."

"And if we _do_ win, you'll release our friends, right?"

"True, but there's little chance of you winning! Let me explain the rules of this match. A double duel: Us against you two. Each duelist will have 4000 Life Points. You must defeat both of the other team's duelists in order to win."

"And the losers?"

"They'll pay a very hefty price: A trip to the Shadow Realm!" Yami and Seto gasped. "You'll be delivered to the dark world in the most ingenious of ways. Notice where you're standing." They both looked down.

"On a thin surface," Umbra said, "above a 50-story light shaft that runs all the way to the ground floor! But if you fall, you'll never reach the bottom. That's because the very surface on which we stand is a divider between our world and the dreaded Shadow Realm! Each duelist's Life Points will be displayed in the magic shadowbox on the floor beside you."

Yami and Kaiba looked behind them and saw those shadowboxes in the far corner of their square. "When you're Life Points reach zero, the surface below you will be destroyed, opening up a vortex that leads directly to the Shadow Realm! And according to Battle City rules, when we win, we'll take your two Egyptian God cards!"

He laughed even more, but then noticed that Yami and Kaiba didn't say anything, nor even flinch. "I guess you left them speechless, Umbra."

"I was waiting for you to finish." Kaiba said. "Do I have your guarantee that my brother's all right?"

"Yes, but I wouldn't count on seeing him again."

"Once you're in the Shadow Realm," Umbra added, "there are _no visitors_!" They both laughed.

"It looks," Kaiba said, "as if you've just made your second biggest mistake today, Rare Hunter. The first was kidnapping my brother, and the second was challenging me!"

All four activated their duel-disks. "We'll see about _that_ , Kaiba!" Lumis called out as the duel started.

"And I _will_ rescue my friends!" Yami stated.

"Very touching," Umbra said. "But we duel for our master, Marik, and losing is _not_ an option! Our decks were specially assembled to take down your Egyptian God cards, and that's just what we'll do!"

"And," Lumis added, "once we deliver them to Master Marik, he'll possess all three of the Egyptian God cards. In the meantime, you'll be spending all of eternity in the Shadow Realm! So, let's duel!" They all drew their respective cards for starting the duel, with Lumis drawing the first card.

"Two cards face down and that'll be all. Make your move if you dare, Yume. It'll only bring you closer to the Shadow Realm!"

Yami drew her card. "Wrong! And I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in Defense!" Her magnet warrior showed up. "He'll protect my Life Points from your attacks, Rare Hunters!" _No one,_ she thought, _can attack until each duelist has drawn only once. And now it's Umbra's turn! I'll figure out their strategy then._

Umbra draws his next card, then summons Shining Abyss in Defense. Then Lumis laughed. "Now," he said, "it's time to show you how we duel together."

"A TEAM STRATEGY!" Yami cried out.

"That's right, Yume!" He said as he activated his face down. "MASK OF BRUTALITY, ACTIVATE!"

"That mask will be perfect for my monster, Lumis." A transfer of the Mask of Brutality ended up on Umbra's Shining Abyss, raising the ATK Points by 1000. (New ATK Points: 2600.)

"WHAT?!" Kaiba exclaimed. "These Rare Hunters already have a monster on the field with 2600 Attack Points!"

"And it will stay that way," Lumis called out, "as long as we each give up 1000 Life Points for every turn we plan to use Mask of Brutality."

"But we won't have to at this point! As I activate a Magic card known as Masked Doll! It'll absorb any and all negative effects caused by our Magic cards."

"Now our Life Points will remain untouched by our Mask of Brutality! You fools are no match for us!"

"Yes, that's right."

"And our tag-team strategy will destroy you!" Yami disagreed on that, and reminded them that they, too, can work together. But Kaiba refused to work with Yami, saying that it's child's play for tag teaming.

Kaiba takes his turn by placing two face downs and summoning Vorse Raider in Attack Mode. _What's he doing?!_ Yami thought. _His monster is too weak! Without a team strategy, we can't win this!_

"Now that we've taken one turn," Kaiba said, "it's time to decide whose strategy is more superior. And I think you'll find the answer to that is obvious."

"I agree. And with our team strategy, we have the most powerful monster on the field! Might I remind you that our decks were specifically created to work together to defeat your Egyptian God cards."

"The duel's just begun, Rare Hunters!" Yami called out. _The safety of my friends depend on this duel, and we_ _have_ _to win! But unless Kaiba agrees to team up, we're doomed! This selfish attitude of his will cost us this duel and have us both in the Shadow Realm! Then Marik will have the three Egyptian God cards and ruin my chances of rescuing Yugi!_

"Accepting our challenge was a _huge_ mistake." Lumis said. "When this double duel is over, you two will be banished to the Shadow Realm! Then we'll deliver both of your Egyptian God cards to Master Marik and he shall possess all three!"

"Wrong!" Yami called out. "We will prevail and you will release Mokuba and my friends."

"NEVER!" Lumis shouted as he drew his next card, then smirked. "Just look at this." He showed it. "Mask of the Accursed. And once I play it on your monster, it will be rendered useless, Yume!" He activated it. "Try my mask on for size, Magnet Warrior." He laughed as Beta now has Masked of the Accursed on its face.

"A perfect fit! As long as this mask stays on, your monster can't attack _or_ defend. And that's not all. Until the mask comes off, you'll lose 500 Life Points for every turn you take. You're finished!" He placed one more card face down and ended his turn.

 _Lumis,_ Yami thought, _has never played a monster since the start of this tournament. I think their team strategy is in my eyes now. I bet Umbra has the monster arsenal in his deck and Lumis holds a deck filled with Magic and Trap cards to weaken our monsters!_

"You'll be in the Shadow Realm very soon, as soon as your Life Points reach zero. And speaking of them, Mask of the Accursed will now take away 500 of yours!" Yami's Life Points drops to 3500 as she saw it happen on her duel disk.

"ENOUGH!" Yami shouted and drew her card: Beast of Gilfer! _Perfect!_ She thought. _I can sacrifice Beta for Gilfer while destroying Mask of the Accursed and summon a more powerful monster!_

 _If Yume,_ Kaiba thought, _makes a foolish move, she'll take me down with her. So she'd better not crew this up. I defeated these two Rare Hunters on my own before, and I can do it again._

"Why don't you make your move, Yume?" Lumis asked her. "Trying to delay your trip to the Shadow Realm?"

"Not really because I'll be sacrificing my Magnet Warrior…"

"Not so fast, Yume! BEHOLD!" Lumis shouted out as he revealed his face down. "MASK OF RESTRICT TRAP!" A mask showed up.

"With this on the field, you two certainly _can't_ win! That's because as long as Mask of Restrict is in play, neither of you can sacrifice your monsters. And without sacrifices, you can't summon powerful monsters, making it an easy win for us."

 _I knew it!_ Kaiba thought. _If we lose this duel because of Yume, she'll be sorry!_

"Of course," Umbra added, "without the ability to sacrifice, your Egyptian God cards are all but useless now until we claim them for Marik!"

 _We'll see about that!_ Kaiba thought.

 _There is_ _no way_ _,_ Yami thought, _that we can win with weak monsters. We've got to turn this duel around!_ "One card face down, and then Kuriboh in Defense." The furball showed up. _If we're going to beat these Rare Hunters, I need Kaiba to help me out!_ She looked at Kaiba.

"Kaiba," she said. "You know there's only one way for us to win this duel."

"I don't need you telling me how to duel, Yume. So, forget about that old teamwork speech. You got that, because who needs it?" Yami just looked at Kaiba, as if using looks to answer.

"If you two are finished arguing," Umbra said, "I'll be taking my turn now." He drew his card. "I could attack Magnet Warrior, but because of Mask of the Accursed, I plan not to. And your Kuriboh is in Defense. And then there's Vorse Raider. But I'm worried about a Trap you played!"

Umbra and Lumis discussed a bit, but Umbra placed one card face down and ordered Shining Abyss to attack Vorse Raider, but Kaiba had plans!

"You've activated my own Trap!" Kaiba revealed it. "RING OF DESTRUCTION!" A ring with red 'petals' is on Shining Abyss. "This destructive Trap," Kaiba explained, "will wipe out your Shining Abyss. Both of us will lose close to 2000 Life Points, but only you will be out one monster!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Kaiba!" Lumis called out. "But I activate my own Trap!" He revealed it as Kaiba gasped. "CURSE TRANSFER! It's triggered whenever you play a Trap. It automatically transfers your card's effect back to your monster." The Ring of Destruction was switched to Vorse Raider, ready to explode.

 _Both players will still lose almost 2000 Life Points when Vorse Raider gets destroyed, unless a Magic card will protect them. I've got to warn him!_ "Kaiba," Yami said to him. "They have something planned!"

"Zip it, Yume." Kaiba countered. "I know what's going on, and I _don't_ need your advice."

"Prepare to lose your monster," Lumis called out, "And almost half of your Life Points!" Vorse Raider got destroyed due to Ring of Destruction, but Kaiba revealed a Magic card just in time to save his Life Points!

"I activated Ring of Defense! It'll protect my Life Points from any damage. Nice try, Rare Hunters."

"Thank you," Umbra said. "But I'm afraid your Ring of Defense won't be helping you, Kaiba."

"Why not?!"

"Because I activate this!" He revealed a Magic card. "SPELL TRANSFER! It transfers your card effects to me, which means my Life Points are untouched while yours are almost cut in half." Kaiba's Ring of Defense was transferred to Umbra as his Life Points drop to 2100 when he looked.

"Kaiba!" Yami warned.

Lumis chuckled. "Too bad you won't be seeing your brother again."

"But where _you're_ going," Umbra added, "that will be the least of your worries, Kaiba. Time to wipe out the rest of your Life Points. Shining Abyss," he ordered, "ATTACK NOW!" Shining Abyss started charging up, then launched its energy at Kaiba. "Say hello to the Shadow Realm!"

Kaiba was about to brace the hit, but then it stopped before reaching him. When the blast cleared, there was so many Kuriboh's that the blast was absorbed. "What happened?!"

Kaiba saw the Kuriboh's and knew that only one duelist would have a Kuriboh and turned to Yami. "You saved my Life Points!"

She nodded. "That attack," she said, "has been blocked thanks to my Magic card. And it's quite simple, really. I used the Magic card Multiply on my Kuriboh. So, your monsters attacks won't hurt either of us."

Umbra grunted. "Your fur balls won't be around for too long. And when they go, so will your Life Points."

"I realize your Magic card saved my Life Points, Yume. But next time, I'll do it myself!"

"Listen, Kaiba." Yami countered. "If you ever expect to see Mokuba again, we need to help each other! Remember that the minute one of us falls, the other won't stand a chance against their unified tag-team assault."

"Are you questioning my skills as a duelist, Yume?"

"What I'm trying to say is that we must combine our forces in order to defeat these Rare Hunters. They duel as a team, building on one another's moves and we have to do the same. I saved you and if you don't protect me the same way, I may not be around to save you again."

 _Then good riddance!_ He thought.

"Master Marik," Lumis said, " will be pleased when we deliver both of your Egyptian God cards to him."

"And tell him," Umbra added, "that you've been banished to the Shadow Realm."

"Enough of this!" Kaiba called out as he drew his card: Blue Eyes White Dragon. _This card,_ he thought, _can destroy their monster with ease. But I need two weaker monsters to sacrifice, but that's something I can't do. As long as the Rare Hunters has Mask of Restrict in play, I can't sacrifice anything! But I'll be finding a way that'll beat both of them by myself._

 _We got this, Kaiba._ Yami thought. _We just have to duel as a team._

Kaiba placed a face down, announcing it, and placing Battle Ox in Defense for protection. "You can't," Umbra reminded, "be expected to win by hiding behind weak monsters. Shining Abyss has 2600 Attack Points. It can easily annihilate your Battle Ox _and_ tear down your wall of fur balls, leaving your Life Points wide open. Right, Lumis?"

"Precisely, Umbra. Looks like you'll never be seeing your friends again, not where you'll be going." Lumis drew his next card. "But before I completely wipe out your Life Points, I must first demolish your defensive wall of miniature monsters. And I have the Magic card to do so."

He played it. "Behold the Mask of Dispel!" Yami's Multiply got covered, with a mask in place. "It'll cover your multiplying Magic card and conceal its effects. So I'm afraid your Kuriboh army will be reduced back down to one." Her army of Kuriboh's starts to diminish until there's the only one that she played.

"With you weak defenses crumbling," Lumis added on, "it's only a matter of time before we destroy you both. This was even easier than I thought. And I'm not through with you yet. Just like your Magnet Warrior's mask, with this in play, you lose 500 more Life Points every turn."

 _With two of my cards covered by the masks, that's a 1000 Life Points lost every turn! If we don't figure out how to stop them soon, it's all over._

"Next is Grand Tiki Elder for a summon and eliminate the field of your Kuriboh!" The monster came out and used its shadow magic to destroy Kuriboh with a sonic blast. "Now, you're wide open for a direct attack, Yume, since your Magnet Warrior can't defend you, thanks to the mask it's wearing." Yami looked at her Life Points count and saw it drop to 2500.

"And once your Life Points drop to zero, you'll plummet directly to the Shadow Realm. And you two can't _possibly_ win this duel. Not only can't you sacrifice your weaker monsters to summon stronger ones, but thanks to our mask cards, you lose 1000 Life Points every turn, Yume. You're finished."

"We'll see!" Yami said, but then looked at her hand. _This doesn't look good. I need a card to turn this duel around!_ Yume draws her next card. _This would let me destroy one card in my opponent's hand. But it's not enough to help us._ She placed it in her hand, then looked at Card Destruction.

 _This will_ _definitely_ _help, but the problem is if Kaiba has a plan to beat them and he needs the cards in his hand to do so, I could ruin his plan! What choice do I have? He doesn't want to duel as a team, and I have_ _no idea_ _what his strategy is. I need to make a move, but it might cost us this duel. But this loss can't be made._

Kaiba then looked at her. "What are you waiting for?" He demanded, and Yami looked at him in surprise. "You couldn't possibly make things any worse than you already have, Yume. Thanks to you, the cards I'm holding are completely useless. In fact, I have a card in my hand that could win the game for us. But due to your sloppy dueling, I can't summon it to the field."

"So, it's better off in the Graveyard, huh?" He nodded. _He_ _wants_ _his hand discarded. Now I know what to do!_

' _Yami, I'll do it!'_

' _Be safe.'_ Yami changed to Yume as Lumis started laughing. "Have you ever seen such a pathetic team?" He asked Umbra.

"Defeating them and taking their Egyptian God cards will be simple. They've already done most of the work for us."

Yume got a bit angry, and her eyes flared a bit. "I've heard enough, Rare Hunters!" She placed her card down. "First off, I play one face down and end my turn."

"It appears you weren't able to summon another monster to defend your Life Points. Not that it would've mattered, for I'm about to summon an unstoppable creature. But to do that, I need to play my all-powerful Magic card." He played it. "It's known as Curse of the Masked Beast!"

"WHAT IS THAT?!" Kaiba and Yume both questioned at the same time in surprise.

"This card allows me to summon both our monsters and call forth one of the most destructive forces you've ever experienced!" A ritual appeared as both monsters were turned to flames and a skull burst into flames, clearing away a monster. "Behold the almighty power of the MASKED BEAST!" His monster showed up, half-human half-creature, with 3200 ATK Points.

"Nothing can stop his wrath. So prepare to lose it all, Yume."

"It can't be!"

"Time to say goodbye to your Life Points! Send her to the Shadow Realm, my Masked Beast!" His monster came after Yume, but all of a sudden, Battle Ox got in front of her, taking the blow instead. "What's this? Kaiba's monster intercepted my attack? It can't be."

Kaiba smirked. "Are you surprised? This is a double duel, after all, and my teammate was in danger. So I used my Battle Ox to defend her Life Points against your Masked Beast." She thanked him. "Look, Yume, give it a rest. There was only one reason why I helped you: so I could win this."

"Then you're a fool!" Lumis called out. "Saving your partner cause you to lose your only defensive monster."

"And soon," Umbra added, "it will cause you to lose the rest of your Life Points when my Masked Beast moves in for the attack."

 _Unless Yume returns my favor,_ Kaiba thought.

"You fools," Lumis said, "can't win!"

Yume had other plans. "Reveal face down: CARD DESTRUCTION!" Her face down was revealed. "Everyone discards their entire hand and starts fresh by drawing a completely new hand!" Everyone did so. _This might be,_ she thought, _my only chance to save my friends._

"Did your partner," Lumis pointed out to Kaiba, "make you lose any cards that you needed?"

"Actually," he said, "what just happened is quite the opposite, Rare Hunter. Without the ability to sacrifice, I wasn't able to summon the monster in my hand. But now I can. And watch closely! Reveal _my_ face down: MONSTER REBORN!" His Blue Eyes White Dragon takes the field, letting out a roar.

"It's possible, alright, Rare Hunters!" Yume called out as they both panicked a bit.

"This," he says, "is the price you pay for using my little brother to get to me. Now maybe you'll think twice before disrespecting the Kaiba family. Now my Blue Eyes has arrived! Thanks to my Monster Reborn Magic card, I was able to bring my great beast back from the Graveyard!"

"And this is just the beginning!" Yume said. "Kaiba and I make a powerful team, and you two Rare Hunters are no match for the combined strength of our decks! And when we prevail, you will lead us to where you're holding Mokuba and the others captive!"

"I think," Kaiba chuckled, "what my partner is trying to say is that thanks to my superior skills, you're finished. Right?"

"Not quite."

"Don't tell me you're still stuck on this teamwork thing, Yume. It's getting a little old. Listen up, here's the deal: I'll win this duel on my own. And if it's convenient for me, I might help you, but don't mistake that for teamwork, or you'll be very disappointed. I'm in this for Mokuba. Got it?"

Yume gasped lightly. "And I will do whatever it takes to defeat these Rare Hunters and free my brother. I'm not about to lose this duel. These fools don't realize it yet, but no one disrespects my family and gets away with it."

"This isn't only about you, Kaiba!" Yume assured. "My friends are in danger as well!"

"That's your problem, Yume. I'm dueling for me and my own needs!"

"But Kaiba, you need my help, and I need yours! Lumis and Umbra still have the upper hand."

"You're partner is right!" Lumis agreed. "You may have summoned your Blue Eyes, Kaiba, but it's useless against the ultimate power of our Masked Beast! Our camouflaged creature has 200 more Attack Points than your pathetic dragon. As soon as it attacks, your Blue Eyes will be gone!" He laughed more, but Yume disagreed on that.

"You _can_ destroy their monster."

"I CAN?!"

"Look, if you want to win, Kaiba, then you're going to have to trust me on this. Like it or not, we're a team. And if you attack them with your Blue Eyes, I promise I'll back you up. Trust me, Kaiba."

 _Is this another some sort of trick?_ He thought. _Why would Yume tell me to attack a monster that's stronger than mine? I smell a rat._

"Do it, Kaiba!" Yume called out as Seto was still debating.

Finally, he came to the conclusion to use White Lightning against the Masked Beast and ordered it to happen. His Blue Eyes charged up, then released the energy against the Masked Beast, surprisingly destroying it! "He's finished?!" Seto said surprisingly.

"HOW IS IT POSSIBLE?! Our monster should've been stronger! It's a cheat _and_ a trick!"

"Guess again, Rare Hunters!" Yume called out. "Your creature was beaten by Kaiba's Blue Eyes fair and square. Please allow me to explain. I had Beast of Gilfer in my hand when I played Card Destruction, so whenever he gets sent to the Graveyard, his special ability is activated."

They both gasped. "It reduces the Attack Points of any monster I choose by 500, and I chose your Masked Beast. Lowering it to 2700, weak enough to be defeated. And if I'm not mistaken, you have no more monsters left to defend your Life Points! So when Kaiba attacks again, you'll be finished. Kaiba, you'll need my help more than you think."

 _Yume's taking all the glory for defeating their creature. But my Blue Eyes did all the work! And we'll win this thanks to me._ "I'm calling my turn to be over. But the duel has only begun. And the next time I attack, you two will be begging for mercy! So go ahead and make your pathetic move, Lumis. There's no hope for you now."

He drew his next card. "We'll see about that!" He looked at it. "I'll place this monster in Defense with two face downs to end my turn."

"What's his plan?" Yume asked herself as her Life Points dropped by another 1000 and drew her card. (1500 left) _I have to take a chance and attack the monster he's placed in defense. I may defeat it, or I may force Lumis to use up a Trap._ "It's time, Lumis! I'll place a face down and play Alpha the Magnet Warrior in Attack." Her second magnet warrior showed up.

"Alpha," she ordered, "ATTACK NOW!" Alpha charged after the monster and slashed it, destroying his Four-Face Beast.

"Say farewell to your precious Blue Eyes, Kaiba, and hello to the Shadow Realm for all eternity! Time to teach you kids a lesson."

"Here we go!" Umbra drew his next card, then played Rogue Doll in Attack. (1600/1000.)

"Don't you think," Kaiba said, "that you're just a little too old to be playing with dollies, Rare Hunter? Especially ones that have such low Attack Points!"

 _That has to be weird._ Yami thought. _Why would they play such a weak monster? They must be up to something!_

"Rogue Doll," Umbra ordered, "ATTACK HIS BLUE EYES NOW!" Rogue Doll started approaching Kaiba's Blue Eyes, with Kaiba thinking of it as amusing.

Then Lumis started laughing. "I'll activate a face down known as Mask of Weakness!" The mask attached itself to Kaiba's Blue Eyes. "Allow me to explain what it does. As its name suggests, Kaiba, my Mask of Weakness is weakening your Blue Eyes. And then, Mask of Brutality is what I'll be playing next. Rogue Doll will have it, destroying your Blue Eyes!"

Rogue Doll has Mask of Brutality on as Kaiba starts to freak out with the change of ATK Points. (Blue Eyes: 2300; Rogue Doll: 2600.) "SMASH ATTACK!" Umbra called out, but Yume had her plan in action.

"Umbra, you won't get away with it!" She said as she revealed a face down. "Remember that there's two of us, so I'm activating the Trap MYSTICAL REFPANEL!" Both Lumis and Umbra were a bit shocked as Kaiba cooled down a bit.

"I guess," she said, "you forgot that you're dueling against a team, and my Trap just saved my teammates Blue Eyes!" Mask of Brutality got destroyed, but it was being moved.

"What's happened to my monster's mask?!"

"Mystical Refpanel," she explained, "takes the power of your Magic card and transfers it to Kaiba's Blue Eyes, which get the 1000 Points boost!" (3300) "Now he's stronger than Rogue Doll!" Blue Eyes charged up White Lightning, then released it before Rogue Doll could get close, destroying it and sending Umbra's Life Points down to 2000.

 _She helped me again!_ Kaiba thought. _I guess teamwork is the best possible way to do this. My Blue Eyes would've been destroyed!_ He closed his eyes. _There's nothing I hate more than depending on someone else for my victory, but it looks like I may need to use Yume's help in order to defeat these Rare Hunters and save my little brother. But in the end, my superior deck_ _and_ _my dueling skills will be the reason we will prevail!_

"You're monster has been destroyed, so say goodbye to some of your Life Points!"

"Look what you've done, Lumis!"

"What do you mean what I've done?"

"Because of you, I'm down to 2000 Life Points! So, that's what I mean!"

"Oh, yeah? You're blaming me for that? As I recall, Rogue Doll was _your_ monster!"

 _It looks like,_ Yume thought, _Lumis and Umbra are losing their team spirit. In the end, that could cause them to lose the whole duel! That's what I keep trying to tell Kaiba! When you're fighting a double duel, the most important thing is teamwork._

"This battle is far from over!" He cried out. "Your Blue Eyes may have defeated my monster this time, but I have a card in my hand that will annihilate it for good!" _If Lumis foils my plans again, Kaiba's dragon will destroy me! So for now on, I won't depend on anyone but myself!_ He places a face down, then ends his turn.

Kaiba drew his next card, confident in taking control again. "Behold my Blue Eyes and all its fury! Prepare to lose this duel, Umbra! Blue Eyes, DIRECT ATTACK NOW WITH WHITE LIGHTNING!" Blue Eyes starts charging up, then released it. "Say goodbye to the rest of your Life Points, Umbra!"

 _That's a hasty move,_ Yume thought, _and a selfish one, too. He's so caught up in winning this duel on his own, he didn't even think about Umbra's face down! He could be falling right into a Trap!_ The attack was close, but Umbra predicted that blast.

"I can activate my face down because I'd thought you'd attack!" He revealed it. "Mask of Impregnability! It'll protect me from direct attacks for one turn." His mask showed up when the attack connected against it. "Looks like your Blue Eyes barrage failed!" He laughed. "It was quite a predictable move, Kaiba. And one which I was well prepared to deflect!"

Kaiba smiled, then turned to Lumis. "Then what about your friend, Lumis?"

"Me?"

"Yes. Don't you wondered what would've happened had my Blue Eyes White Dragon attacked _you_ instead of Umbra? Would he have protected you with his Magic card? Or would he have let you lose?" He growled. "That's the danger," he added, "in depending on someone else to help you when the reality is there's only one person you could trust: Yourself!"

Lumis was a bit shocked. "And if anyone tells you otherwise, they're lying!" Lumis is starting to lose it, then turned angrily at Umbra.

"WHAT?!" He exclaimed and turned to Lumis. "Don't listen to him! Of course I would use my Magic card to protect you! Even though I'm sure you wouldn't do the same thing for me, Lumis!"

It clicked in Yume's mind. _'Yami,'_ she said, _'I understand what Kaiba's doing! He noticed that Lumis and Umbra were beginning to doubt one another's loyalty, so he's taking advantage of that and trying to destroy their team trust!'_

' _That's right Yume. As soon as their loyalty was diminishing, I knew how to take advantage of it. Perhaps now, they'll only trust each other.'_

' _You're turn, Yami!'_ Yami took Yume's place. "THIS DUEL IS OVER!" Lumis exploded as he drew his next card. "I'll activate Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two new cards from my deck." He did so, then placed two cards down: One face down, and one playing.

"I'll place a face down, then play the Magic card Card Exchange! Playing this card allows me to exchange my entire hand with that of any other duelist on the field. And I choose Umbra!"

He turned to Lumis, confused. "If you won't be helping me with your cards, then I'll take them!"

"HOW DARE YOU?!"

"Follow the Magic card, Umbra, as we're exchanging hands." Umbra gave Lumis his three cards while Lumis' was empty. "Then," he added, "I'll activate this next Magic card, which is my face down, known as Chosen One!" He revealed it. "If this works, you two are finished! I'll explain how it works. First off, I'll place three cards face down on the field." His three cards showed up in a triangle formation. "And in the center of those three cards goes the chooser."

His top appeared. "It will randomly select one card, and if it chooses one of my two Magic cards, all three go to the Graveyard."

"My cards are the ones you're risking!"

"They're not yours anymore, Umbra!"

"If this doesn't work, you'll be sorry, Lumis."

"Now Chooser," he ordered, "MAKE YOUR SELECTION!" His top started to spin. "I also forgot to mention that if it chooses my third card, I'll be able to summon an all-powerful monster to the field without having to sacrifice a weaker monster first, and you'll both be finished!" He laughed some more as the spinner started to slow down.

It finally made a decision, then emitted a purple aura on it, revealing a monster unlike no other. "The end is near!" He laughed as Yami and Kaiba both gasped. "I summon the Masked Beast Des Gardius! ITS UNSTOPPABLE!"

"That thing," Kaiba exclaimed, "is _way_ more powerful than my Blue Eyes White Dragon!" (ATK/DEF Points: 3300/2500.)

"Very observant, Kaiba. Des Gardius could demolish your pathetic Blue Eyes White Dragon with one swipe of its all mighty claw!" He laughed as Umbra called it luck.

"Now that Des Gardius has been unleashed, there's no stopping it! My masked creature is so powerful, you two pitiful duelists won't stand a chance against it. And when it's through with you, your Blue Eyes will be in the Graveyard, and both of your Egyptian God cards will belong to Master Marik!"

' _This is terrible enough, Yami! There just_ _has_ _to be a way to stop that monster, right?'_

' _There is a way, Yume. But I don't know how. Sorry! But if that monster isn't defeated in time, it's all over.'_

"I have the monster out." Lumis said. "But the question is, who shall I attack first? Decisions, decisions. I could make an attack on Yume against her Magnet Warrior, and send her straight to the Shadow Realm. Then there's Kaiba. I could attack the Blue Eyes, but in exchange for taking him out, you'll still be alive."

"Why does it matter, Lumis? It really doesn't matter who's first. It's only a matter of time before both of their Life Points reach zero, and they're sent plummeting into the Shadow Realm forever!"

"EXACTLY! So, forget about rescuing your friends, Yume. They belong to Master Marik now! And one of you two fools is about to feel the fury of my ultimate creature, Des Gardius, but which one? If I attack you, Yume, my beast will wipe out the rest of your Life Points. But if I choose Kaiba, his Blue Eyes will be a meal for my Des Gardius."

"And don't forget," Umbra added, "what happens when your Life Points reach zero. Your shadowbox will destroy the surface below you and send you plunging into the Shadow Realm for all eternity!"

"And your friends will join our army of Rare Hunters and serve Master Marik! Now the time has come for me to decide which one of you pathetic nitwits to attack with Des Gradius! Who will it be?" Neither of them said anything. "Giving up already? Because I'm choosing _you_ , Yume Orskov!"

"Wait!" Umbra called out. "We're supposed to be a team, Lumis! That means we both get a say in this decision! While I agree that we have to destroy Yume, leaving Kaiba's Blue Eyes on the field would be an extremely foolish mistake!"

"NO!" Lumis countered. "It's my move, and I'll be attacking Yume!" Yami got prepared to take the blow, but Kaiba countered it, saying that he knew.

"I was wondering," he explained, "whether you would have the guts to challenge my Blue Eyes, and now I know."

"Know what?"

"That you're all talk and no action. Only a coward would take the easy way out, instead of flexing his muscles and attacking my monster." Yami realized that Kaiba was saying all that to protect her again. Yume agrees with Yami because she knew that Kaiba would lose without their help.

From what Kaiba said, Lumis realized which one he can attack. "Alright then!" He said, changing his mind. "There's been a change in plans. Des Gardius, DESTROY HIS BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON!" Des Gardius approached the Blue Eyes and gave a powerful slash with its claws, destroying the Blue Eyes.

"Guess you were wrong, Kaiba!" He said laughing. "No one calls me a coward and gets away with it!"

 _Yume better not,_ Kaiba thought, _make me regret saving her!_ "Destroy them, Yume!"

"I'll get them! But that doesn't mean I didn't forget about the masks." Yami drew her card as her Life Points drop to her last 500. _'Yume,'_ she said, _'how about another switch? You'll be getting your revenge right here!'_

' _I will, Yami! As the "Pharaoh's apprentice."'_ Yami just chuckled a bit as Yume decided to switch with her. "You'll regret not attacking me!" She prepared to play her card. "This card will be played and destroy you!"

"WHAT?! It can't be!"

"Attacking my Blue Eyes was a big mistake. Because now Yume has something even worse in store for you!"

"It's a lie!"

"You can't summon high power monsters because of our Trap card!"

"Your Trap only prevents us from sacrificing. But that's not the only way to summon powerful monsters!" She played her monster in Attack. "GAMMA THE MAGNET WARRIOR!" Her Magnet Warrior showed up. (ATK/DEF Points: 1500/1800.)

"Now that I have three Magnet Warriors on the field at the same time, I can activate their special ability! MONSTER TRANSFORM!" Her Magnet Warriors got disassembled. "All three will now transform into one mighty warrior with triple the attack strength!" The pieces to the Magnet Warriors came together to form one monster. "VALKYRION THE MAGNA WARRIOR!" (ATK/DEF Points: 3500/3850.)

"Consider this attack," Kaiba said, "as payback for destroying my Blue Eyes, Lumis!"

"FINE!"

"Yume's Valkyrion has 200 more Attack Points than Des Gradius! So with one swing of it, it can completely annihilate your Masked Beast! Tough break, Lumis! Yume, it's time to take our revenge for my Blue Eyes White Dragon! So, what are you waiting for? I've been patient long enough! Stop stalling and ATTACK THEM!" Yume looked at him. "Prove that you're not scared and avenge the destruction of my Blue Eyes!"

 _It's true,_ she thought, _that in a head-to-head battle, my Magna Warrior could easily defeat their Des Gradius. And they don't seem to have any hidden face down cards on the field. But Lumis and Umbra are not really nervous at all!_

"Destroy their monster, Yume!"

"Make your move, Yume!"

 _Could their Masked Beast Des Gardius have a hidden ability that could block my attack?_ "Make your move, Yume!" Kaiba said impatiently, but Yume does nothing. "What are you waiting for?! I gave up my Blue Eyes for you, and let you summon your monster, and this is the thanks I get? Now destroy their monster so I can move one step closer to finding my little brother!"

Yume looked down. "And do it now, or you'll be sorry!" She just takes a card from her hand and inserted it in her duel-disk. "One card face down. And Kaiba, if you ever want to see Mokuba again, we have to duel intelligently! Anger will only cloud your reason!"

"You're wrong."

"You must try," she explained, "to put your frustration aside and trust in the heart of the cards. Unless you do, you'll be playing right into the hands of the Rare Hunters!"

"That's nonsense! We have to crush them _now_!"

"You're losing your focus, Kaiba! If you want to win, you must believe in your deck."

Kaiba growled, then looked at his hand, seeing Obelisk the Tormentor. _Heart of the cards,_ he thought. _Who needs it?! The only way to win this duel is to play my Egyptian God card, Obelisk! But in order to summon it, I need to sacrifice three monsters. And as long as their Mask of Restrict is in play, we're not allowed to sacrifice_ _anything_ _!_

Then it clicked in his mind as he saw one of his Magic cards. _That's it! It was right in front of me this whole time! A way to summon my Egyptian God card even_ _with_ _Mask of Restrict on the field! But it can only work if Yume's willing to give up_ _her_ _monster. I gave up my Blue Eyes to help her, so it's only fair if she makes a sacrifice._

Kaiba wasn't the one to depend on anyone, but at least he has a plan as he turns to Yume. "Yume," he said calmly, "we _can_ win."

She turned to him and smiled. "Right." Then she turned to her monster. "Valkyrion the Magna Warrior," she ordered, "ATTACK THEIR MONSTER NOW!" Valkyrion charged after Des Gardius, sword charged with electricity and slashed Des Gardius, destroying it, but three masks were left behind. "It's gone."

"You may have destroyed my beast, Yume, but you also activated his special ability." Kaiba demanded what it was. "Whenever Des Gradius," he explained, "gets sent to the Graveyard, it leaves behind three masks, which combine to form a new, more powerful Mask: THE MASK OF REMNANTS!"

The three masks turned into one mask as Yume gasped and Lumis laughing. "As revenge for your attack, this mask allows me to control one of _your_ monsters as if it were my own! And since you only have one monster, it's a good thing that one size fits all!"

Mask of Remnants came after Valkyrion and attached itself to the Magna Warrior, sending it to the other side of the field. "Now Valkyrion belongs to me, and you're in trouble!"

"Excellent work, Lumis! Looks like we have them on the run now." Umbra drew his card, confident in taking out Yume. "I'll play this Magic card." He did so. "MASQUERADE! With this Magic card in play, I'm able to control one of Lumis' monsters as if it were _my_ monster! So, my Magna Warrior," he ordered, "ATTACK AND DESTROY YOUR FORMAL MASTER, YUME!"

Valkyrion charged after her with the sword charging up electricity, but she expected the attack to happen. "Don't celebrate just yet, Rare Hunters." She revealed her face down. "DIFFUSION! It will break down your monster into its three separate parts and destroy your mask!" Beta, Gamma and Alpha returned, with Beta's mask gone.

Both Rare Hunters were shocked to see their attack has failed. "You shocked?" She asked. "I'm afraid you're no match for our combined skills, Rare Hunters! Kaiba, finish this duel!"

He nodded, then drew his next card. "Behold my Egyptian God card!"

"Not quite!" Lumis countered. "My Mask of Restrict is in play, so you can't do any sacrifices! Not only that, but you would need three monsters that my mask will prevent!"

"Wrong!" Kaiba encountered. "Your mask only prevents me from sacrificing my own monsters. But I plan to sacrifice _your_ monsters instead, Lumis, with the help of this Magic card!" He played it.

"SOUL EXCHANGE! It will let me sacrifice your three Magnet Warriors! Because they are not mine or Yume's, I can use your monsters for sacrificing!" All three Magnet Warriors got surrounded in a light blue aura as they all disappeared because of Soul Exchange.

"I warned you two clowns!" A huge tornado was formed around Kaiba's field. "THIS IS FOR MY LITTLE BROTHER!" His Egyptian God started to come by. "YOU'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT WINNING MY EGYPTIAN GOD CARD THIS ENTIRE DUEL! NOW IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO EXPERIENCE HIS POWER!"

Obelisk came bigger to the field. "OBELISK THE TORMENTOR, ARISE AND WREAK YOUR ULTIMATE REVENGE!" His Obelisk has a changed ATK/DEF Points for a total bonus of 4850/4850.

"It's payback time," he said, "for kidnapping Mokuba! So prepare to feel a force like no other!" His Egyptian God took through its full form. "OBELISK," he ordered, "attack Umbra's Life Points directly WITH FIST OF FURY!"

Obelisk used his fist and charged it at Umbra, causing major damage to his Life Points, an overkill as his shadowbox continued to drop on his Life Point count.

"Umbra!" Lumis called out. "Are you alright?"

"He's fine for now," Kaiba said, "but thank to my Egyptian God card his Life Points don't look so good. It seems like you've fallen victim to your own Trap, Rare Hunters!" Both gasped as Umbra looked over at his shadowbox, seeing his Life Point count drop at a constant rate.

When it reaches zero, it let out a sound and the surface exploded beneath him, dropping him under! Thankfully for him, he was able to slow his descent with a built-in parachute in his cloak, but he stays motionless as his mind is in the Shadow Realm.

"This is over, Lumis." Yume said. "You're dueling on your own. These odds are against you. Not only that, you're powerless against his Egyptian God card. If you want to avoid any further danger, you better surrender!"

Lumis got down on his knees, defeated that he can't do anything against Obelisk. Yume and Kaiba are having some kind of argument, when Lumis suddenly scream and clutched his head. "NO, MASTER!" He cried out, getting their attention. "PLEASE DON'T BE ANGRY! WE TRIED OUR BEST!"

"What now?" Kaiba asked.

"MASTER, PLEASE DON'T! NO, MARIK, I'M SORRY!" He screamed again as Yume gasped, then he laughed.

"I see," he said, "that you have defeated my Rare Hunters. That's alright. They did their job."

"What have you done to my friends, Marik?!" Yume demanded.

He laughed some more. "This Rare Hunter's gone mad." Kaiba said, but Yume countered it, saying that he's under the control of someone named Marik. "That's ridiculous, Yume!"

"Marik's power is very real, Kaiba! And he's the one holding Mokuba captive." He turned to her.

"Then tell me," he demanded, "where this so-called Marik is hiding!" Then he laughed.

"Wouldn't you like to know, Kaiba!" Marik-Lumis said. "Well, I'll give you a hint. I'm closer than you think I am! I hope you enjoyed the special duel I set up for you. You fared better than I thought. But don't think just because you beat my Rare Hunters that you'll be rescuing your friends and family anytime soon." Yume looked up.

"You see," he continued, "I've been preparing for the next phase of my plan. And I've been studying each of your decks through the eyes of my Rare Hunters. As for your Egyptian God card, Kaiba, Obelisk pales in comparison to my Winged Dragon of Ra card! I'm afraid there's no way it can stop me." Kaiba looked at him with a stern one.

"And once I defeat you, Obelisk will be in _my_ deck! And I haven't forgotten you, Yume. Your Egyptian God card _and_ Millennium Puzzle will be mine as well! And since my Rare Hunters failed, I've come up with the perfect plan to defeat you once and for all! By playing upon your greatest weakness: Your loyalty to your pathetic friends."

Yume started getting furious. "I'M THE ONE YOU WANT, MARIK!" She exploded out, surprising Kaiba. "SO LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE!" Her eyes flared more.

"Too late, Yume! I'm afraid those fools belong to me now!" He laughed while Yume called him a coward.

"WHY DON'T YOU FACE ME ALREADY INSTEAD OF HIDING BEHIND YOUR MIND SLAVES LIKE A COWARD?!" Kaiba realized that Yume is getting very angry as he saw the little flames in her eyes.

 _That's the same anger,_ he thought, _when I first met her. That was the time I tore up that old man's Blue Eyes White Dragon._ He saw the memory going through his head when it happened. _Well, she_ _does_ _have red eyes, so I guess that makes sense._

"LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE, MARIK! And tell me where they are!" Kaiba started approaching Marik-Lumis.

"Look, I don't know who you are," he said, "but you better tell me where Mokuba is!"He grabbed him. "I won this battle, so release my little brother just like you said you would right now!"

"You trust me? What a fool!"

"Kaiba, stop!" Yume said, calming down a little, but still holding in her anger. "You're only wasting your energy. He obviously has no intention of helping us find Mokuba and the others."

"Very perceptive, Pharaoh's apprentice!" He laughed as Kaiba dropped him, then fainted.

"He's gone." Yume said calmer. "Alright then, Kaiba. It looks like we're going to have to track them down on our own. Maybe your satellite system can help."

"Look, Yume. First things first." Kaiba said. "I have a couple questions I need to ask you, but first, this Rare Hunter owes us something." He walked over to the Rare Hunter and took two Locator cards. He turned to Yume and gave her one.

"This was an official Battle City duel. That means the losers has to give up one Locator card each to the winners. And there's one for each of us." Yume took one. "That means we both have six. We're each guaranteed a spot in the Battle City finals now."

Yume wondered what's wrong with him. "Kaiba," she started, "how can you begin to think about the tournament after what Marik just said? We have to find my friends and your brother right now!" He turned his back to her and took a few paces away.

"I'm well aware of that, Yume!"

"Then help me think of a plan! Every second counts!" Then they heard a whirring sound. Kaiba looked up and saw a Kaiba chopper. "Isn't that," she shouted, "one of your helicopters, Kaiba?" When they saw who was driving it, they saw Mokuba.

"It's Mokuba! He escaped!" The chopper lands, and Mokuba jumped off and ran to them. "Are you alright, Mokuba?"

He nodded. "But I had to leave Téa behind." Yume asked him if she was okay along with Joey and Tristan. "I'm not so sure about Joey or Tristan, but up until she helped me escape from the Rare Hunters, Téa was doing all right. We gotta go back there!"

Yume gasped, as Kaiba told her to get in the chopper. "Sounds like your friend Téa," he said, "saved Mokuba's life, and as much as I hate getting involved, I hate owing someone a favor even more."

"Well, in that case, hand over your Egyptian God card and we'll call it square!" Kaiba looked shocked, then Yume laughed. "Just a joke, Kaiba! I'll only get it when I defeat you in a duel." She got on the chopper and they head over to where a weak signal is coming from Joey's duel-disc at the pier.

* * *

a/n At some point, I wanted to give Yume a sense of humor. Either way, I'm getting closer to the end of Season 2.


	6. A Tearful Reunion

I'm just glad I'm making better progress. Also, during this duel, I've proposed something different by adding one more new thing.

" _Marik talking to another through the Millennium Rod in thoughts."_

As the chopper landed, Yume and Kaiba got off. During the ride, Kaiba asked with the info he has to Yume to see if they are true. She said it was all true, but Kaiba disregarded it, saying it was all just a trick for Yume to look a lot like Yugi when he first met her. Yume then took out the Millennium Puzzle and put it around her neck.

But when Yume looked up when they landed, she saw Joey standing there. "Joey!" She called out and was about to run to him, but she heard something weird.

"Not exactly, Yume. Because he's not present. He's gone away."

"MARIK, YOU COWARD!" She exploded.

"Correct," Marik-Joey said. "And if you want your friends back, you _will_ listen to me."

"What's going on?" Mokuba asked his brother. "That sure doesn't sound like Joey." Kaiba disregarded that, saying that it was just another of Marik's tricks.

"Joey," Yume called out, "you've _got_ to be in there!"

"It's pointless, Yume. Now, you listen. We are playing by _my_ regulations. I'll release your pathetic friends as soon as I get what I want. Of course, since I want your Puzzle and Egyptian God card, there's only one way to do this. You and I are going to duel!"

"YOU'RE INSANE!"

"If you refuse, then your friends are mine forever!"

"Release Joey from your control, Marik!"

"What's going on, bro?" Mokuba asked him.

"It appears," Kaiba answered, "that this Marik is somehow able to turn Joey Wheeler against Yume Orskov. Now, Wheeler wants to duel. This should be very interesting to say the least."

"But how could it be interesting, Seto?"

"Well, if Wheeler is fighting on the side of Marik and the Rare Hunters now, _he_ may be holding the third Egyptian God card." _And I want that card in my deck,_ he thought. _So if it's played, I want to be there._

"Joey!" Yume called out. "I know you can hear me. Your mind is under the control of Marik, and you _must_ break free from it. You understand that this is the same Marik that you vowed to help me crush? Think Joey! You've got to remember your promise to me when you gave me your Red Eyes." That memory went through her head.

"Marik couldn't defeat me in a duel, so he decided to turn you against me in order to win the Millennium Puzzle _and_ Slifer the Sky Dragon. I know you're in there, Joey, and I'm going to set your free. Marik's power is feeble compared to the strength of our friendship. Please, Joey. Say something."

"You'll never set him free unless you follow me, Yume!" He turned around and started walking.

' _Yume,'_ Yami said to her, _'this could be another one of Marik's traps! Let me handle this, okay?'_

' _I trust you, Yami. But please, don't hurt Joey too badly!'_ Yume saw the Puzzle glowing as she was switched with Yami. _'Please, rescue Téa and Joey for me.'_

Yami was about to follow, but then heard a voice behind her. "Yume!" It said, sounding familiar. "You'd better do exactly as I say!" She looked and saw Téa, but not the same because she's also a victim of Marik.

"TÉA!"

"This may come," Marik-Téa said, "as an unpleasant surprise, but like your friend, Joey, Téa, too, is under my control." She chuckled, "Surprised?"

"Leave her alone, Marik!" Yami called out. "She's done nothing to you!"

"Looks like I've turned your closest friends into your greatest enemies. You're at my mercy." She continued walking, then Yami followed her, to see Joey ready for dueling. "Welcome to my very special dueling arena. Look around you. Should you accept, you'll be battling against your best friend in a duel unlike never you've _ever_ experienced before."

Yami walked over to face Joey. "For the highest stakes imaginable!"

"Let's just get this duel over with, if it means saving my friends."

Marik-Téa lifted up two chains. "Let's begin. Why don't you both try these on for size?" Both Joey and Yami were chained up. "Notice," Marik-Téa explained, "that you're both securely fastened to a chain that leads to a large anchor hanging above you. 30 seconds after a player's Life Points reaches zero, the anchor will drop to the bottom of the sea."

"That's right," Marik-Joey said. "Now, look down." She did, and sees a box, pointing at Joey with a triangle and a '4000' on it. "That small box is your Life Point counter, but it also contains the key for your survival. When one player's Life Points reach zero, the other player's box opens, revealing a key that'll unlock their shackles." She nodded.

"Just remember that you'll have only thirty seconds to free yourself before the anchor drops."

"So the loser," Yami paraphrased, "will be dragged to the bottom of the ocean while the winner frees themselves at the last minute?"

"That's right. Quite ingenious, isn't it?" He chuckled, but Yami troubled something in her mind.

"Hold on," she said. "If _I_ win this duel, will you set my friends free from your control, Marik?"

"You'll have to fish Joey out of the sea first. And don't think I left little Téa out of all the fun. But I'll get to her role shortly. And just in case you had any plans of refusing to duel, think again! If there's no winner within 60 minutes, the anchor will automatically drop, sending _both of you_ plummeting into the sea." He chuckled as Yami growled.

"But you _will_ lose, Yume." Marik-Téa said. "And before that anchor drops, I'll be taking the Millennium Puzzle _and_ Egyptian God card, Slifer." She chuckled.

"You're not getting away with any of this, Marik."

"HA! And Seto Kaiba, don't think you're merely a spectator in all of this. As soon as I'm through with little Yume and her friends, I'm setting my sights on _your_ Egyptian God card: Obelisk the Tormentor."

Kaiba gathered his courage for one thing to say. "As head of Battle City Tournament," he said, "this duel is going against the will power of a duelist! So, this duel is being dropped NOW!"

"Sorry," Marik-Téa said as a machine came towards her. "But this duel will continue as planned. And speaking of plans, here's the final piece of my plot." Yami turned around, to see a _huge_ crate above Téa lifted by a crane machine.

"What's the meaning of this, Marik?"

"I've taken extra measures to insure that no one would interfere this duel. So don't try. Because if you do, the crate you see hanging over my head will fall." Everyone gasped. "You wouldn't put poor Téa in danger, would you?"

A Rare Hunter inside the machine decides to speak while holding up a switch with one button on it. "Make one false move," he said, "and I push the button, releasing the crate above the girl's head." Kaiba realized that he can't drop this duel without hurting Téa.

"Now that everything," Marik-Téa finished, "seems to be in place and everyone is familiar with all the rules, why don't we start the show? Oh, wait. I almost forgot. I wouldn't want little Téa to miss all of this." Téa then regained her senses.

"W-Where am I? What's going on?" She tried moving her hands, but then realized that they were bonded with her feet. "I'm trapped!"

"Now then," Marik-Joey said, "there's one last thing that matters: Your Egyptian God card is off limits, Yume. So if you were planning on using it against me, you're out of luck. Now remove the card from your deck so I may claim it when I win."

Yami then unclipped her belt, which contains her special cards. She opened it, and saw Slifer, but when she looked behind it, she saw the Red Eyes Black Dragon. _'That Red Eyes,'_ Yume said to her, _'will be especially important as that's Joey's best card. We should add it to our deck to make sure. It'll probably trigger him to break free!'_

' _You're right, Yume. Not only that, but that Red Eyes means a lot to Joey, which is why he gave it to us as a sign of friendship.'_ Yami placed the Red Eyes in her deck and shuffled it before placing it in the duel disk.

"Slifer goes on the ground, Yume." Yami did so. "So, whoever wins gets to retrieve that card while the loser goes swimming." Marik-Joey activated their duel-disc as Yami did hers. "I think it's time to finally begin the duel. You ready, Yume?"

"Let's get this over with!"

"Prepare to lose, fool." They drew their hands, with Yami an extra one to start as the clock started ticking. (60:00) _'We have to stop this duel! Or at least, end in a draw. But when the duel ends, either us, Joey, or both of us are getting dragged under!'_

"Are you too frightened," Marik-Joey asked, "to play a card?" Yami got a bit enraged, but summoned Gazelle in Defense. Joey drew, then destroyed Gazelle with Raigeki, which automatically destroys a monster. "I'll next summon Alligator's Sword." He showed up. "Attack her Life Points directly!"

Alligator's Sword approached Yami and made a direct strike. Yami groaned as her Life Points made a drop to 2500. Marik-Joey just laughed at that. "Surrender yet, or do you want more? I hope you're not going easy on me because we're old friends, Yume. You'll be sorry."

"We're not friends, Marik." She drew her card. "Big Shield Gardna in Defense!" He showed up.

"Think that'll protect your Life Points?" Joey drew his card, then played a Magic card. "HINOTAMA! Watch closely as its power blasts away your Life Points." A huge meteor of flame came after Yami. To which Téa cried out before Yami got blasted away 500 Life Points!

' _Second time he's hit me, Yume! I'm running out of options!'_

Kaiba gasped when he saw what happened. "That third-rate duelist Wheeler _never_ had cards that powerful in his deck. So he _is_ being helped."

' _There has to be a way out of this, Yume! Half my Life Points are out. The whole world will be in danger if we lose! But Joey gets dragged into the ocean if we win. There just_ _has_ _to be a solution!'_

"Time's running out, Yume." Marik-Joey called out.

' _That anchor will drop in less than an hour automatically, so we need a plan, Yume!'_

"What in the world is going on here?" Téa cried out. "Why is Yume dueling against Joey? Is this some sort of freaky dream?"

"No, Téa." Mokuba said. "Some guy named Marik brainwashed Joey and forced him to duel against Yume."

"Why would he do that?"

"Marik," he explained, "is trying to get his evil hands on Yume's Egyptian God card, Slifer the Sky Dragon. So he's forcing Joey a duel for it."

"So, this guy Marik is behind everything? Then he must be the one Ishizu warned us to watch out for again. Everything's making sense to me now."

"Hey, you!" Rare Hunter called out. "Stop making a fuss, will you? If you don't keep quiet, kid, you're done. So don't test me."

"You," Téa tested, "wouldn't do it because you don't have the guts."

"You wanna bet on it?"

"Kaiba, you have to stop this duel right away or the whole world may be in danger of being destroyed. DO IT NOW!" But Kaiba said nothing.

"We can't, Téa." Mokuba explained. "It's too risky. If we try to stop now, we'll be putting you in danger as well."

"Come on, Yume. Time is of the essence, and stalling's not an option. You know that as well as I do. So make your move NOW!"

' _How can we do this, Yume? With 1500 Attack Points on his Alligator's Sword and nothing is powerful enough to beat it. With Big Shield Gardna at 2600. We still need to win without hurting Joey.'_

' _There's no way, Yami. We'll have to attack Joey at some point. For now, play the Trap face down that'll buy us some time. We'll need a decoy monster to do so, though.'_ Yami placed one card face down, then summoned Kuriboh in Attack.

"You playing some sort of joke? Kuriboh's weak! With only 300 Attack Points, why would you place it in Attack?! Unless you're trying to lose this duel on purpose to save your friend? Very well, then. If losing is your goal, a surrender would be nice, but you'll lose either way."

He laughed as Yami said that she won't lose. "I'll defeat you and free Joey from your control!"

"I'm afraid that _this time_ you're in over your head." He ordered Alligator's Sword to attack Kuriboh, but Yami had her plan down like Yume said.

"NOT SO FAST!" Yami revealed her Trap. "Activate Spellbinding Circle!" Alligator's Sword is trapped in the Spellbinding Circle with drained ATK Points to 800. "Your monster is caught while Kuriboh is safe." Kuriboh did another warble, which was meant a a sigh of relief.

"All right, Yume. I've had enough of your childish games. Time for me to regain control of this duel." Joey held a card. "Because this worked well last time, I'll use another one!" He played another Hinotama, dropping Yami's Life Points down another 500 by another fireball blast. (1500)

"I've attacked your Life Points again, Yume. You're finished! As soon as I wipe out the rest, that anchor will drop, taking you with it right into the sea."

"Marik, I'll assure you that you'll never get away with your plan."

"Is that so? I'd say you're in no position to make threats." Yami started to get up due to the blast having her on her knees.

"I know," she said, "the real Joey is in there, and I'm going to set him free no matter what it takes."

"Oh?"

"There's no way you'll win the Puzzle _or_ my Egyptian God card."

"Yume, your friend is gone. Or make you move, if you think he's still there. Not that it matters. Neither one of your monsters is powerful enough to defeat my Alligator's Sword."

"Snap out of it, Joey!" Téa cried out. "We're your friends, remember?"

' _She's right, Yami! I think I know what to do! I may have come up with a way to save Joey and get us out of this mess.'_

' _What is that?'_

' _Well,'_ Yume started, _'it just came to me when Téa reminded us of our friendship. There's a chance we can break through to the real Joey. I should duel this time and take your place.'_

' _Why, Yume?'_

' _Because,'_ she explained, _'through thick and thin ever since we met, Joey and I shared a strong bond with each other. A bond that I think might break through to him now. We've been through so much together. The time he rescued me from the fire.'_ That memory went through her to the aftermath of a duel against Bandit Keith, who was controlled by Marik.

' _He and Tristan risked their lives for us. Now it's my turn to repay that debt!'_

' _It's very dangerous, Yume. If you lose, then we'd have to make a hasty retreat to the Shadow Realm without the Puzzle! But even then, you're stuck there for all eternity, with no way out.'_

' _I know, but I can't let it stop me. I feel it in my heart that if there's anyone in the whole world that can get through to Joey right now, it's me. I want to go out there and do what I have to do. Joey's a great friend, I know that if I was Yugi in the same situation, he'd help Yugi. Now, it's time for me to see what to do, being the daughter of his best friend!'_

' _I understand, Yume. This is something you feel you_ _have_ _to do. And if you feel that strongly, then go. Just be careful what happens. I'll be there when you need me should things go wrong.'_ Yami switched places with Yume. "It's just us now, Joey." Yume said. "Because now, it's my turn!"

' _Just remember that Joey and Téa are counting on you, and as long as you believe in the heart of the cards, I_ _know_ _you'll come through for them.'_

 _Heart of the cards,_ Yume thought. _Don't fail me now with guidance!_ She drew her card: Red Eyes Black Dragon. Her only hope! _'I drew the card Joey gave me, Yami! And according to the field, I can summon it to the field.'_

' _Then play it now!'_

' _Not yet. First I've gotta play something else. I can use the card in a different way other than summoning it. The real Joey could break out if he sees it.'_ "I just hope," she said quietly as she readies a Magic card, "that you're paying close attention, because I'm about to jog your memory."

"Remember that when time runs out, the anchor will drop. So make your move now!"

 _In order to summon Red Eyes, I need two monsters. And a good thing I have Kuriboh and Big Shield Gardna out on the field. All I have to do is send them to the Graveyard and I can bring the dragon out._

She was about to take the Red Eyes, but Yami spoke again, asking if she has confirmed on summoning Red Eyes. Because at 1500 remaining, Marik may have something to destroy it. She lets go of Red Eyes, then noticed Exchange. _No matter what the risks are, I'm still doing it!_ Yume picked up her Magic card.

"Time to get serious, Marik!" She placed it down. "Because I play the Magic card Exchange!"

 _What's wrong with her?!_ Kaiba thought. _Exchange allows Wheeler to take one card from Yume's hand._

"You must've been desperate to play a card like that, Little Yume. But if you insist," Marik-Joey walked around to Yume, "I'd be glad to take a card from your hand, little Yume. Not that I need any help." He got to her. "Show me what's in your hand." Yume showed her hand, from right to left, they are: Mystic Box, De-Spell, Card Destruction, and-

 _MY RED EYES!_ Joey thought, but Marik decides to take control.

" _Silence, Wheeler! You're under my control now. You have no mind of your own. I OWN YOU."_

"Playing that Exchange card," Marik-Joey said, "was a _huge_ mistake, Yume."

"Just pick your card, Marik. Anyone you want, including the Red Eyes Black Dragon."

 _That… card,_ Joey thought weakly, _is what… I gave… to Yume. My Red Eyes!_

" _Quiet, you fool! I'm in control in your mind."_

' _Yume, it's starting to work.'_

 _She… needs it! That's the reason… I gave it… to her._

" _You will do,"_ Marik insisted, _"as I say and take that Red Eyes from Yume, now. You have no mind of your own, Joey. SAY IT!"_ He repeated it. _"Excellent. So, take that Red Eyes Black Dragon right now. TAKE IT!"_

Marik-Joey was about to take the Red Eyes, but the real Joey decides not to and resists. _"TAKE THAT DRAGON NOW!"_

"I," He said out loud, "can't take it!"

" _OBEY ME! Take that card so we can finish Yume off now. TAKE IT!"_ In Joey's last sign of resistance, instead of the Red Eyes Black Dragon, he took Card Destruction. _"How_ _DARE_ _you disobey me! You'll pay for this!"_ Yume saw that Joey resisted in taking the Red Eyes.

"I told you," Marik-Joey said, "he's gone. And I'm here to defeat you with my arsenal of rare Magic cards, so I don't even _need_ your Red Eyes."

"That's what you think!" Yume countered. "I also get to pick one of _your_ cards as well." He showed his hand: Hinotama, Magic-Arm Shield, Rocket Warrior, and Graceful Dice. Yume took the Magic-Arm Shield Trap card, then he started to walk back to his place.

"You can deny it all you want," Yume said, "but I know that my friend is in there and I'm going to set him free, Marik."

"You're fooling yourself."

"I don't think so. That's why you didn't take my Red Eyes, because the _real_ Joey is in there, fighting to get out. And he gave me that Red Eyes when he promised to help me defeat you!"

"That's enough, Yume."

"Admit it that, as soon as he saw that card, the real Joey came through."

"What are you talking about? I'm controlling his mind!"

"Not for much longer." She showed Red Eyes again. "I know I can use this card to stop you and bring my best friend back. Just wait."

"Don't hold your breath. Now let's get this duel, already, so I can claim what is mine and get rid of you once and for all."

"Just remember that it's still my turn, so stand back."

"Go ahead and make your pathetic move, Yume." She picked up a card. "There's not a card in your hand that can stop me from wiping out the rest of your Life Points."

"I sacrifice Kuriboh and Big Shield Gardna." They both disappeared. "So I can summon _this_!" She played it down. "RED EYES BLACK DRAGON!" Her monster came out and let out a screech.

"My… Red Eyes. Yume!"

"Fight it, Joey! Look at your Red Eyes Black Dragon and break free. I _know_ you remember your Red Eyes."

"I… remember my… dragon."

"That Red Eyes Black Dragon," Kaiba said, "seems to be affecting Wheeler's mind."

"Well," Mokuba said, "you heard Yume. It used to be Joey's card. Must be a hard spot to be in, a card you really cared about being played against you."

"It's about to get harder."

"Joey!" Yume called out. "Marik is taking over your mind and he's using you to destroy me. So I'm going to blast you back to your senses. If it doesn't work, you, me and the whole world are in danger. I'm only doing this because I'm your friend. Prepare to be knocked back into your senses." She looked at the Red Eyes.

"RED EYES BLACK DRAGON," she ordered, "ATTACK ALLIGATOR'S SWORD WITH INFERNAL FIRE BLAST!" Red Eyes charged up, then released against Alligator's Sword, destroying it, dropping Joey's Life Points to 2400 as he let out a grunt. "Still there, Joey?"

" _Get up and fight back, my mind slave!"_ Joey got back up.

"Is that you, Joey?"

"Sorry, Yume." He said, still under control. "Your trick didn't work. I'm still in control here. And now it's time. I'll wipe out what's left of your Life Points, my little friend, and take what belongs to me."

" _We'll attack her,"_ Marik said, _"with everything we have and soon the powers of the Pharaoh will be mine."_

' _Yume,'_ Yami said to her, _'this is starting to get dangerous. I have to take over from here.'_

' _I'm sorry, Yami, but I can't let you. I gotta do this myself.'_ She takes off the Millennium Puzzle from her neck. _'Trust me, Yami. I_ _know_ _I can save him. Since Father gave me his Millennium Puzzle, you along with him gave me hope, courage and confidence. You've even helped me make new friends. But I can't go through my life depending on you.'_

' _You need to learn that, without the Millennium Puzzle, you can hold your own?'_

' _What I'm trying to say is that sometimes, I need to prove myself that I can be like Father without you, you know?'_

' _I do.'_

' _Then you understand that I need to do this and finish this duel myself.'_

' _You are aware of what happens when you lose this duel, right, Yume?'_

' _I do, and this is one risk I'll be taking without you. I can win this. The fate of the world rests within me and the outcome of this duel. I_ _won't_ _disappoint you.'_

"Have you given up," her opponent said, "or are you waiting for more?" Yume said nothing. "Alright. It's time for me to finish you off _now_ , and take the power I deserve. So say goodbye, as I attack your Life Points again with another Hinotama Magic card. FIRE SHOWER ATTACK!"

Another meteor of flame came after Yume and struck her, leaving her with 1000 Life Points left as she screamed out and came down. "What's the matter, Yume, did my direct attack leave you speechless?" She slowly was getting up. "Surrender yet, Yume?"

"Listen, I'm not going to stop until my friend is safe from harm." She started walking towards Joey, around the field. "And I know just _how_ to get through him, Marik. Just watch me."

"It's too late because I'm about to send you into the sea when I summon Rocket Warrior!" He showed up. "And any monster struck by Rocket Warrior loses 500 Attack Points for the duration of the turn."

"Joey wait, before you attack, I know you can hear me."

Joey just played a Magic card. "I'll play Attrition!"

"I know you remember. Think, Joey."

"I said you're too late, you fool! ROCKET WARRIOR, ATTACK NOW!" Rocket Warrior started shifting into a rocket. "In its invincible mode, it will weaken your Red Eyes while remaining unharmed." Rocket Warrior struck Red Eyes, dropping its ATK Points to 1900 as it let out a screech.

But Yume kept advancing on him, saying that Joey should hold on. "Now Attrition gets activated. It'll take the Attack Points of my Rocket Warrior and subtracts it from your Red Eyes." Red Eyes got down as it is at 400 ATK Points. "Making it even weaker! How sad." Then the real Joey noticed his Red Eyes down and struck a chord in his mind.

"You're my," Yume said weakly, "close friend, Joey. And just like you gave me Red Eyes, I'm going to give you something that's meaningful to me _and_ Father."

Joey clutched his head with one hand. _"FORGET ABOUT HER!"_ He let out a short grunt. "What's… happening… to me?" He got down when Yume reached him.

"It's me, Joey. Yume Muto. I want you to take something: my most precious possession." She placed the Millennium Puzzle around Joey's neck. "The Millennium Puzzle. A piece of me will always be with you. Please take care of it, Joey, because I want you to keep it." She walked back to her spot in the duel.

 _I hope that Puzzle will break him free soon, before it's too late._ (Time check on anchor: 21:00 and counting.)

 _If Joey comes back to his senses soon, then we may be able to escape! I gave him the Puzzle as a sign of friendship, but I'm also putting Yami on the line as well as Father's Millennium Item. I know the bond he shared with him is much stronger than Marik's magic! I've seen signs of weakness. When he saw Red Eyes, it triggered something inside him._

She returned to her spot. _Marik may be able to control Joey's mind, but he can't control his heart._

 _The… Puzzle._ "You still there, Joey?"

" _IGNORE HER! She's trying to bribe you with that Puzzle! She's your enemy and I am your master so listen to me NOW!"_ Joey clutched the Puzzle. _"The Puzzle must be won in a duel in order to use its magic. So until we win this duel, it's useless to me! Now, DESTROY YUME!"_

"Destroy! Yume!"

" _That's right! She wants to hurt you! So, get rid of that Millennium Puzzle! Hurl it into the ocean so Yume can't weaken us!"_ Joey took off the Puzzle as Yume gasped. _"And once we win this duel, I'll send my Rare Hunter into the sea to retrieve the Puzzle. It's destiny, and I WILL NOT be denied my fate!"_ "Say goodbye to your Puzzle, Little Yume!"

"Please… Fight it, Joey."

"The only thing I'm fighting is _you_!" He took off the middle piece, where the Eye is, out of the puzzle. _"That's right! Show Yume you don't need it and throw that thing into the ocean, my mind slave!"_ He prepares to toss it, but Yume wanted him to stop and not do it!

"STOP, JOEY! That Puzzle means more to me than anything!" She needs to let the truth out, so she says it. "That Puzzle… was given to me by my father, Yugi Muto!" The Kaiba Brothers gasped. "He gave it to me before when I… beat him in a duel once."

"I shouldn't… toss her Puzzle. I CAN'T!" He was shaking his hand, unsure what to do. When he got down and dropped his hand, both regular _and_ his cards.

" _WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU FOOL! Get up and DISPOSE of that Puzzle!"_ "N-No… Yume's… my friend." He got back up and put the piece back. Joey placed the Puzzle back around his neck when Marik came to a decision.

" _Alright! Keep the Puzzle, if you want."_ "Yes. Keep the Puzzle." _"Puzzle or not,"_ Marik said as Joey picked up his cards, _"we will DESTROY Yume!"_ He faced Yume.

"You're little friendship plan won't work Yume! Your friend's mind belongs to me! Prepare for defeat! GET ON WITH THIS DUEL! The sooner you make your move, the sooner I can eliminate your Life Points! And you'd better act quickly because you only have 14 minutes left before that anchor drops both you and your friend into the ocean's depths!"

Yume looked up and drew her next card. "Since your turn is over, Red Eyes regains the 500 Attack Points he lost because of Rocket Warrior!" Red Eyes regained that 500, but is still weak at 900. "Get ready, Marik!" She looked at her card: Beta the Magnet Warrior.

 _I need to free Joey's mind from Marik's control! When Marik forced him to attack his favorite card, the real Joey broke through. So I have to make that happen again if I'm going to save him and get us out of this mess! Red Eyes is weak, so if he gets attacked again, I could lose this duel to Marik and put the whole world in danger!_

' _Yume, please focus on this!'_

' _Huh?! M-Mother?!'_

' _Yes, Yume. You need to pull through. I'm communicating to you through Yugi's help. Ever since you lost the Puzzle, it's been harder to track you.'_

' _I didn't lose it, Mom! I gave it to Joey, but I know what to do.'_ She placed three cards down: one summon and two face down. "I'll place two face downs," she announced, "then I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in Attack!" Her Magnet Warrior showed up. "That ends my turn.

"That was foolish." _"She could've attacked us! Instead, she left herself wide open for us to attack her! Now, don't disappoint me this time!"_ "It's time to end this!" He drew his next card: Panther Warrior. _"Nice! He HAS to be strong enough to destroy Red Eyes and wipe out the rest of her Life Points!"_ "Destroy Yume."

" _That's right, my obedient servant! So do it now!"_ "Time to wipe out your Red Eyes _and_ your Life Points!"

' _Yume,'_ Dark Magician Girl called out to her, _'I feel Joey's will power to break free falling! There has to be something you can do!'_

' _I know what I'm doing, Mother.'_

Joey placed a monster down. "I'll play Panther Warrior in Attack!" A panther that looks like a soldier appeared. (ATK/DEF Points: 2000/1600.) "But before I strike with Panther Warrior, I'll transform Rocket Warrior into its invincible mode!" Rocket Warrior shifted.

' _Yume, watch out! You only have 1000 Life Points! If Panther Warrior hits your Red Eyes Black Dragon, which has 900 Attack, you'll get overkilled on this duel by 100!'_

' _Trust me, Mom. I know what I'm doing!'_

" _Now, Wheeler, attack her Red Eyes with Panther Warrior!"_ "I'll attack with Rocket Warrior!" Joey said disobediently. _"WHAT?!"_ "And the target is Beta the Magnet Warrior!" _"I COMMAND YOU TO ATTACK THE RED EYES! Why are you not responding to the Millennium Rod?!"_ Rocket Warrior approached Beta, but Yume planned that!

"I got you right where I want you!" She revealed her Trap. "MAGIC-ARM SHIELD Trap!" Beta had a shield that, when opened, grabbed Rocket Warrior. "I can redirect his attack," Yume explain, "to another target! And I'll do it to your Panther Warrior!" Rocket Warrior was re-aimed at Panther Warrior.

"And thanks to Attrition, which is a continuous Magic, Panther Warrior also loses 1500 Attack, bringing him down to 500! And because Rocket Warrior was in its invincible mode, Panther Warrior loses an additional 500 Attack Points as well, removing all of his Attack!" _Marik would've attacked my Red Eyes and win the duel, but Joey must've stopped him!_

" _VERY WELL, MY MIND SLAVE. It appears you have a tendency to disobey my orders and disrespect my power. But I assure you my Millennium Rod is not a force to be taken lightly! All I need to do is keep you under my control long enough to destroy Little Yume, FOREVER!"_

"Make your pathetic move, Little Yume!"

"Fine Marik!" She drew her card as Panther Warrior gains the 500 ATK Points he lost due to Rocket Warrior's ability. "I sacrifice Beta as a Tribute!" He disappeared. "So I can summon Beast of Gilfer!" Her demon showed up. "I'll still save you, Joey! My mighty beast, ATTACK HIS ROCKET WARRIOR!"

Beast of Gilfer charged up, then let a blast of flames at Rocket Warrior, exploding it and sending Joey's Life Points down to 1700. "You okay, Joey?"

"He's gone! You see, unlike your dragon, I've got plenty of strength left!"

 _He's right. Thanks to Marik's Magic card, Red Eyes can only have up to 900 Attack Points. And I can't let it get destroyed. It may be my only hope to save Joey and the entire world from Marik!_

"I'm afraid," he said, "it's only a matter of time before you and your pathetic friend are out of my way for good!" (Time update on anchor: 10:45 and counting.) "I hope you're comfortable, Little Téa. In the front row seat to your friends' last duel! As long as no one interferes, you'll be fine. But I can't say the same for Yume!"

"You're not getting away from this, Marik!"

"That's where you're wrong, Little Yume! In less than ten minutes, the anchor hanging above you will drop into the ocean, taking you and your friend, Joey, with it!" (Updated time: 9:20 and counting.) "I can barely contain my excitement, Little Yume! Say goodbye to the rest of your Life Points!" He drew his next card: Skull Dice.

" _That Trap card may be able to help us win. Either way, I can't lose! I'll win if Little Yume's Life Points are reduced to zero. But that's not the only way. When the timer runs out, I'll automatically win!"_ (Timer update: 8:10 and counting.)

"Ready to lose everything, Yume?"

"Come on, Joey! You have to break free!"

" _Listen to me. No matter what we do, she'll lose. So we can destroy her with our Magic cards. Or just keep waiting. When time's up, well, let's just say that I'll be the victor!"_

"Snap out of it, Joey! Time's running out!" _'Yume,'_ she heard the voice of her father, _'try bringing up some stories that either you or me have gone through with Joey! Hope he still remembers them in this state. Especially with 18 years gone by.'_

' _I-I'll try.'_ "Joey," she said, "don't you remember Duelist Kingdom? You gotta try! Remember how you wanted to win so you could pay for your sister's operation? Serenity was your inspiration and thanks to you, she'll see again. Not only that, but her debts are paid, too."

"Serenity?" His memory of before her eye operation flashed back through him.

"You kept your promise to her, Joey. And don't forget the pledge you made to me." That moment flashed back.

"I… promised."

"That's right, Joey. And if what my father said was true, you never broke a promise!"

"Then I promise to annihilate you, Little Yume! I place two cards face down, and end my turn! I dare you to attack Panther Warrior!" _"Excellent dueling, my mind slave! It's almost over!"_

"PLEASE WAKE UP, JOEY!"

"Haven't you realized that your friend _isn't_ coming back! You're dealing with me now, and I'm about to take everything away from you!" (Anchor time update: 5:37 seconds and counting.)

"Snap out of it, Joey! Time's almost out!" She drew her next card. _This Trap may be able to help._

"NOTHING CAN SAVE YOU!" She placed it down.

"I'll just place one card face down, and have my Beast of Gilfer attack your Panther Warrior! For your own good!" Gilfer charged after Panther Warrior, but Joey expected that attack to happen.

"You've fallen right into my trap, Little Yume! And your foolish mistake will cost you dearly! As soon as your beast attacked, you're done!"

"Don't be so sure about that! Roast that Panther with your Flame Attack, Gilfer!" He charged, then released.

"Reveal Skull Dice!" His Trap gets revealed. "And just to make sure my move works," he revealed his other face down, "I'll add Graceful Dice!" His Graceful Dice and Skull Dice gets ready to drop.

"Graceful Dice will increase my monster's Attack Points according to the roll of the die! While Skull Dice _reduces_ your monster's Attack Points! And I'm feeling very lucky today!"

"Guess again!" She revealed her Magic card. "I'll activate Despell, which will nullify Graceful Dice's effect!" Graceful Dice was removed. "Sorry to disappoint you, Marik, but now you can't raise the Attack Points of your Panther Warrior!"

"But I can still weaken your monster! GO, SKULL DICE!" Skull Witch dropped its die, revealing a 2 at the end.

"That only cuts Gilfer's Attack Points in half, but he's still stronger than Panther Warrior!" Even to the decrease of 1100, Gilfer was able to destroy Panther Warrior and reduce Joey's Life Points to 1100, letting out a short scream.

"You may have destroyed my Panther Warrior, but you're about to lose this duel, Little Yume! In just over five minutes, you'll sink to the bottom of the sea, while I acquire your Egyptian God card _and_ your Millennium Puzzle!"

 _My last chance to get through to Joey and save us both!_ (Time update on anchor: 5:05 and counting.) "The end is near, Yume. I could just let the timer run out, destroying you and Joey." (Update on timer: 3:50 and counting.) "But out-dueling you will be so much more fun! And now all of your little friends are here to witness your demise! _So_ , here goes!"

He drew his next card: Meteor of Destruction. _"Excellent work, my mind slave! That's just the card we need to win. Now, play it and win me the Puzzle! And destroy your best friend's daughter!"_

"One more move and you'll be gone for good, while I _rule the world_! The card I hold is the key to my victory! As soon as I play it, your world will crumble as you sink to your doom!"

"Not if I can set Joey free from your control first, Marik!"

" _Listen to me! Play that card and DESTROY Little Yume! Wipe out the rest of her Life Points and win me the power I deserve! AND DO IT NOW!"_ "The moment I've been waiting for," Joey said, "is about to arrive! IT'S ALL OVER, YUME!"

"There's gotta be a way," Duke called out, "to put a stop to this duel!"

"They'll hurt Téa."

"Seto, is there some way we can stop this without putting Téa in danger? We can't let her get hurt! She saved my life!"

 _There may be a way to stop these Rare Hunters._ He thought as he called to Kaiba Corps. "It's me," he said quietly, "now listen up…"

"Come on, Joey!" Yume called out. "This is your last chance to break free!"

" _Ignore that fool, my servant! And use your Meteor of Destruction to finish her off! As soon as you play that card, Little Yume will receive 1000 points of damage to her Life Points, destroying her! And her most prized possession will be mine! She won't need them where she's going! Do as I command and deliver the final strike against her!"_

"This is it, Joey! You have to remember who you are, _now_!"

"I am… Joey." He said as he clutched his head with one hand while groaning. She gasped. "It's faint. But I also remember my friends. Duelist Kingdom and dueling my hardest to get to the top." Every duel he's faced and scored a victory on flashed through him, as well as Yume's promise to beat Marik.

"My past. It's real." _"YOU HAVE NO PAST! NOW DESTROY HER!"_ He screamed out. "GET OUTTA MY HEAD!" _"Your feeble brain is no match for me! So, PLAY METEOR OF DESTRUCTION NOW! You belong to me, understand?! I command you to vanquish Yume!"_

"I CAN'T! SHE'S A TRUE FRIEND! I WON'T DESTROY HER!"

' _Could Joey be breaking out, Mother?'_

' _I'm not sure. But there's a good chance. If he refuses to play that card for good, then he's back! Otherwise, that Trap you set will help you get the last final seconds to free him!'_

' _I'll be careful, Mother. Tell Father that I'll see him real soon.'_ (Anchor time update: 1:50 and counting.) "MARIK! You hide like a coward, but wherever you are, I know you can hear me, and I've got some news for you! There will be a loser in this duel, but it's not who you're thinking! It's not me, and it's not Joey, either! It's _you_ , Marik! You will lose this duel!"

She gathered all her courage. "You may have thought you could force Joey to destroy me by taking over his mind, but it looks like there's something you didn't take into account when you made your plan! THE STRENGTH OF JOEY'S BOND WITH HIS FRIENDS!"

"WHAT?!"

"Time may be running out, but Joey's back, and we're in control of this duel now! Your power over Joey has been removed! And I'd say that that means you lose! That timer may run out, but since Joey is free, you can't be considered the winner of this duel! Get it?! Since you're not dueling anymore, how can you possibly win this duel?!"

"What does Yume think she's doing?" Kaiba said to himself. "That fool!"

"What will you do now, Marik?! Just wait in your little hideaway until you lose this duel? This is your last chance for victory! SO COME AND GET ME! Joey can't be controlled, so it's up to you!"

Joey noticed the card glowing as it moved in his hand by itself. "I… can't." _"SILENCE! NO ONE CAN RESIST MY MILLENNIUM ROD! BEHOLD THE FULL POTENTIAL OF IT'S ANCIENT POWERS! Joey Wheeler no longer exists!"_

Joey screamed some more as the Eye of Horus showed on his forehead. "It's over, Yume!" He played a Magic card. "I activate METEOR OF DESTRUCTION!" A vortex appeared, and out came a destructive fireball heading right towards her. "Yume!" Joey said as himself. "HELP ME PLEASE!"

He screamed even more, louder than ever, until the Eye of Horus got removed from his forehead. "You did it!" _I knew Joey's heart was too strong for Marik!_

' _Yume, METEOR OF DESTRUCTION IS HEADING TOWARDS YOU!'_

' _OH SHOOT! I completely forgot!'_ She revealed her Trap. "Mystical Refpanel ACTIVATE! Stopping Marik's Meteor of Destruction!" A fairy showed up from the Trap and sealed the Meteor away.

"My Trap," she explained, "has absorbed the effects of Meteor of Destruction! Mystical Refpanel can redirect that meteor to whenever I want! I'm not putting you in danger, Joey."

"Yume." Joey said, and she just nodded.

 _She has quite the predicament on her hands. Thanks to Mystical Refpanel, she has the power to control the outcome of this duel, leaving her with a difficult decision: She can either direct the attack towards Wheeler._ Seto gasped. _Or choose to destroy herself. And if either of them try to escape, then Téa's done for! Unless my plan works soon, but time's running out!_

Joey looked down to see Millennium Puzzle. "Why am I holding the Millennium Puzzle?" He asked to Yume.

"Because I gave it to you, Joey. When I was trying to help you remember our friendship."

"I'm confused."

"Marik tried to turn you against me. But our friendship ended up being stronger than his powers! And giving you the Puzzle helped you break free. You're my close friend, Joey, and no evil magic can take that away! And now, I'll be ending this duel. But remember that we defeated Marik together, Joey!"

' _What are you doing, Yume?!'_

' _I'm heading back, Mom. I'm sorry, but I tried! But this is something I just have to do.'_ (Anchor time update: 0:30 and counting.) "There's not much time left," she said, "because if one of us doesn't win, we'll both be pulled under, and I'm _not_ letting it happen, Joey!"

"What're you saying, Yume?"

"I'm going to save you, Joey. There's no point in both of us going down. And if I lose, you're safe."

"But," he said, getting teary eyed, "I can't let you do this, Yume." She started crying, but cleared her eyes.

"It's my decision, Joey. Please, take care of the Puzzle. It belongs to my father, Yugi, but I'm giving it to you because you win this. Refpanel," she ordered, "DIRECT THAT ATTACK ON ME!" The fairy turned the mirror around, and the meteor launched at her as she screamed, taking the hit.

Her Life Points got drained to zero as she hit the floor, barely conscious, and Joey's boxkey opened. _I can't just save myself, I have to help Yume!_ (Anchor time update: 0:01-0:30 and counting.)

Yume looked up. "F-Free yourself, Joey. With 30 seconds, only you can make it out on time. Please, do it."

"I'M NOT GONNA LEAVE YOU TO BE SHARK BAIT! I'm getting you out of this!" She just took off her duel-disc. "Don't give up, Yume. I'LL THINK OF SOMETHING!" Then it clicked. _THAT'S IT! Meteor of Destruction has another effect: Since Yume has another monster on the field, I can force it to attack me. This duel isn't over yet!_

He looked at his Red Eyes. "Red Eyes, hit me now! Wipe out my Life Points and reveal Yume's key!" The eyes of his dragon lit up as it got up and released a blast of weakened fire, putting out his Life Points, then the whole field disappeared as Yume's key box opened. _Good ol' Red Eyes._

"Yume," he said, "you've saved my butt at least the same amount as Yuge did. But this time, _I'm_ doing the rescue! You taught me the courage and never giving up!" (Anchor time update: 0:10 and counting.)

Joey put down the Millennium Puzzle and dual-disc, then grabbed the chain that's connecting his ankle to the anchor. "I'm coming, Yume!" He took a running start, then started swinging across the water.

As soon as he grabbed the key, the clock struck zero and the anchor started dropping to the ocean, dropping Yume and Joey into the water. Yume was unconscious while Joey swam to her and unlocked the shackle that's dragging her down as she floated upwards.

She broke the surface and took a deep breath, regaining consciousness a little bit, but enough to be floating on the surface. "Hold on, Yume!" Tristan cried out as he dove into the water and carried Yume to the dock.

"Joey never took his key from his box!" Tristan told Mokuba to get the key. He tried to go for it, but saw Serenity jumping into the water. Yume started to regain back her consciousness and managed to go over to her Millennium Puzzle and put it on, then returned to the gang as they saw Joey breaking the surface with Serenity.

After a hard apology from Joey for destroying his and Yume's friendship, she told him it was not his fault, but Marik's. Joey calmed down for being forgiven to her. After with some consideration, Joey now feels better and noticed that Serenity is here and they hugged.

"Now we have a new problem," Yume said, "where is the Battle City Finals taking place? Kaiba said that six Locator cards are needed to qualify, but nothing's happening."

"Wait a minute, Yume," Joey said. "I think I know what to do! With six Locator cards, there's five slots for monsters and one for a field. So, if I do this." He placed one Locator card on each of the five monster slots and placed one on the field slot, creating a hologram of the location.

"It looks like a stadium." Yume said.

"Congratulations," a female voice said from within the hologram. "Our satellite network has confirmed that you are a Battle City finalist. Stand by for directions to Kaiba Corp Stadium." After some time, directions were inputted as a GPS signal on Joey's dual disc that would lead them to Kaiba Corp Stadium.

After traveling, the whole gang showed up at the stadium. "This is it?" Yume asked, inside a cloak to disguise herself.

 _Yume pulls away from the gang to go into a dark alley. There, with the Millennium Puzzle, she calls out to her parents in her mind as it gets sent to the Shadow Realm._

 _When she opened her eyes, she saw her parents. "Mom. Dad. I have a plan, but there's a bit of risk being known."_

" _Tell us, Yume." Yugi said, and Dark Magician Girl nodded._

" _All I need is a cloak to cover up. I'm going under a fake name until otherwise known. I can't let anyone know about my true identity. Will you help me?"_

" _Of course we will." The Pharaoh said from behind Yume. When she turned around, she that he was holdng a purple cloak._

" _This is a special cloak that will help in hiding your true identity. As long as the hood is up, no one can know who you are. You'll also sound different, making others hard to know you. Only those that know about it would know that it is you under the cloak."_

" _Thanks, Pharaoh. I'll be sure to keep it safe!" He hands her the cloak, and she put it on, lifting up the hood. "I'm going by the name of Faith Evington. No one would be able to know that it's really me!"_

" _Look lively, too, Yume." Yugi warned her. "If they know who you are, they'll see through the disguise of the cloak's power. There'll also be an evil power residing to enter in the Battle City Finals."_

" _I'll be cautious!" Yume said as she closed her eyes. When she opened them, she's in an alley._

 _She stepped out and, when she saw her reflection, she saw that she was wearing the cloak. "I guess they were right." Even though she sounded the same in her ears, everyone else who heard it heard a different voice. She looked ahead and saw her friends looking around._

 _She approached them, then saw them looking at her. "Can we help you, miss?" Joey asked. Yume responded by lowering her hood. "YUME!" He cried out and came to her, along with everyone else. "What's up with the cloak?"_

" _I have a plan to show Marik that even_ _I_ _can play trickery! I plan on wearing this cloak, but I need assistance on faking it out. I'm going to go by the name of Faith Evington to lose suspicion on my true identity. Meanwhile…" She explains her whole plan to Joey, Téa, Duke, Mai, and Serenity. The Kaiba Brothers already left to get the Finals ready._

" _We get it now, Yume." Téa said when Yume finished her plan. "As long as no one figures out that you're in the cloak, they'll see a disguised version of you. But we'll be able to see through it because we saw your features when you took off your hood."_

" _That's right. As long as I keep it up, and no one knows it's me, I'll look like someone else to them with a different voice! It will fool_ _anyone_ _!"_

" _Just be careful if someone starts to catch on, Yume." Joey said, and she nodded. "Then we better go! Battle City Finals: Here we come!" Yume put up her hood, and followed them towards their destination to the Battle City Finals._

"Looks like," Duke said, "this place's still under construction!" Mai said that they're early.

"Welcome," said a man in a business suit. "Please present your Locator cards." Yume, Joey and Mai held out their six Locator cards as they were given tournament I.D.'s as the first three finalists. "So far, it's been you three and Mr. Kaiba. We're expecting the other 4 finalists shortly."

Yume felt something wrong as Yugi told her in her mind that someone else from evil is coming. She looked in the direction of the warning and sees a boy between the heights of Yume and Joey wearing a pink, short-sleeve shirt and black pants on.

Joey came to him. "Your Namu, right?" Yume has a bad feeling that this person is Marik, but can't tell for sure.

"Thanks to your dueling skills, Joey, I've won five new Locator cards." Yume approached him with care in her steps, as if not trusting him.

"Um, Faith," Téa said to her, as she told them of the fake name she'd gave them, "this is our friend, Namu. He's the one who saved Bakura's life and get this: He's also one of the Battle City Finalists." _That doesn't give me any right to trust him, Téa!_ Yume thought.

"Hello, Faith. I'm glad you're here." From the corner of her mind, Yume, who was disguised as Faith, sensed that this guy is actually Marik. "I guess, if we're lucky, we might be facing off against each other."

She casted aside her uneasiness as she shook his hand. "Namu," she said, "thanks a lot for helping out Bakura. It's nice to know that someone has good intentions on another's friends." She silently thanked that the cloak that her parents and Pharaoh gave to her provided enough cover so no one would know who she truly is, except for her friends.

"I'm so happy to be surrounded by such a welcoming crowd, I just hope everyone I meet tonight is as friendly as you people." Joey scratched his head as he thought he _may_ have been wrong, but not jinxing it.

Yume felt someone coming and turned to that person to see Bakura. "Hey." She grabbed Joey and she pointed at Bakura.

"Bakura!" Joey, Téa, and Yume approached him. "You should be back at the hospital, Bakura!" Joey cried out. "You should be resting!"

"That's right, Bakura! Mr. Muto told me you were in pretty bad condition! They let you out?" Bakura nodded at Téa, saying that he's fine, then noticed that he has a dual-disc on. "Bakura, where did you get the dual-disc?"

Bakura held it up for everyone to see. "How else would I have won six Locator cards and enter the finals?!" He held up his Locator cards: Six in total. _How could he have six Locator cards when he could barely walk?!_ Yume thought.

' _Yume, watch out!'_ Dark Magician Girl called out to her. _'The Millennium Ring is nearby!'_ Yume then noticed that Bakura has the Millennium Ring around his neck, but it was invisible.

Yume now feels a dark presence, the darkest of all, and turned around to see a big man in Rare Hunter clothing. He approached everyone and addressed himself as Marik. She can't trust him at all.

After some time, a huge blimp showed up. "We're dueling in the _sky_?!" Yume exclaimed. Mokuba explained that it's 4000 feet up in the sky. Then he turned to the finalists.

"Listen up!" He said. "It's time to board Kaiba Kraft 3 for the start of the Battle City Finals!" The blimp landed and opened.

"We'll depart as soon as the eighth duelist arrives. Climb aboard and watch your step." Namu came up first, then Marik, then Mai. Yume came up, wondering who the eighth duelist would be. Bakura climbed inside and then Joey. Téa, Tristan, Serenity, and Duke were about to go on board, but they can't enter without tournament I.D.'s.

Serenity tried to convince him to seeing Joey duel, but Kaiba allowed them to enter. Kaiba was about to go on board, but first notified to launch the blimp _before_ the eighth duelist even arrived.

a/n Just to let you know, Ishizu is the eighth duelist and arrived just in time to board Kaiba Kraft 3. And to let you know, I'll be referring to Marik as Namu and the other one as Marik until revelation happened. Yume will stay the same, though everyone would say that she's Faith Evington.


	7. The Spirit Returns

I'm just glad I got this far into the story. Surprised, even! I hope you guys continue watching this. Again, Yume is the only character I own. The plot is nothing I own, either.

Also, sorry for the long delay! I was working on a lot of stuff, like getting ahead of other stories that I'm doing, plus making some new ones. With that out of the way, I hope you are still reading this!

* * *

When Kaiba Craft Three started the liftoff, altitude was gaining increasingly. When the appropriate altitude was reached, Kaiba Craft Three stopped raising and had thrusters set for forward motion.

' _I'm just glad,'_ Yume said to Yami, _'that we all managed to make the finals, although, I'm a bit worried if there's an eighth finalist or not.'_

' _Trust me, Yume. If anything, I bet the mysterious duelist, if they'd shown up, would be challenging Kaiba, if memory serves right when your father was up here.'_ She nodded, but started having little doubt that they'd shown up yet. _'Kaiba's right behind you, too!'_

She turned around and, sure enough, he was there. "Faith," he said, "I'm unsure to how you came in. I was expecting Yume to show up, but since she's not here, she must've passed the task of gathering the Egyptian Gods to someone else. She should've given me Slifer, instead."

He then walked away, saying he has a tournament to run. Yume got a bit on her nerves, but decided to keep her cool. The real Yume would've burst in anger upon hearing that, but that would blow her cover.

She decided that she needs some alone time and head to her room, where her I.D. card comes in handy. "At least I'll be alone." Yume said to herself as she sat down and took out her deck, seeing the familiar cards that she had made from her father's grandpa.

' _He's really come far and wide with this deck. No wonder he beat some of the toughest duelists: Pegasus, Kaiba, that soul thief, practically those who needed some kind of power for evil.'_

' _That's right, Yume. And, for your disguise to work, I won't be interfering during your duels, so you're on your own. But I'll make sure that you receive the messages of your parents, as well as the Pharaoh. Just remember that we're all a team.'_

' _That's right! But first…'_ Yume took out two cards from her deck: Slifer The Sky Dragon, and Dark Magician. _'I'm sure that I'll be able to use Slifer, even though he's dangerously powerful. But if Father could wield it, so can I!'_

' _That's the faith you need. Also, I've realized that everyone was fooled by your disguise as Faith. I'm pretty sure someone would catch on.'_

' _All my friends knew about it because I told them about it. Not only that, but the cloak doesn't signify me as a Rare Hunter._ _And_ _the cloak could hide my facial features, so no one could identify unless they put two and two together. Other than that, they'll be pretty much fooled… Unless I lose enough Life Points to draw me back.'_

Afterwards, Yume had her deck ready and prepared to leave her room to the main hall, which is where the participants would be. When everything was ready and prepared, the duelists are ready for a duel.

"Now then," Roland said, "the first two duelists for round one will be decided by lottery. To guarantee fairness, each pair of opponents will be selected completely at random. You've all been assigned a number from 1 through 8. The selector will now choose the first two numbers."

Yume decided to do a background check. She knows that Kaiba will be 1, seeing as it's his tournament. Joey said that he has two. She has three, and she gained enough trust with Mai to know that she has four. She wasn't sure about Namu, Bakura, or Marik, but kept her eyes sharp for the last duelist, as she knows that the eighth duelist would have number eight.

"All of the numbers are equal weight and size, and everything that has been chosen are 100% random. Now, let's have our two numbers." The machine started to mix up the numbers, until one landed in the mouth of a mini-mechanic Blue Eyes, which showed the number 6.

"Bakura is our first contestant." Bakura was very surprised that it caught him off-guard for him dueling first. Then the second ball came inside the mouth, revealing a 3. "Faith Evington is Bakura's opponent."

Yume sighed, knowing what's going to happen. "We'll begin the duel in the stratos dueling arena. Not only that, but every duel here will be played by Battle City rules and regulation, so the loser would have to give the winner their rarest card while the winner advances to round two."

With Yume and Bakura heading up there for their duel, she kept an eye on Bakura, never leaving her sight on him. _'Be careful, Yume.'_ She heard Dark Magician Girl say. _'This evil is ever so powerful. Stay on your guard.'_

' _I will, Mother. Trust me.'_ She blinked to see that they're already there. She stepped from the elevator and entered the platform where she should be as everyone watched. Yume and Bakura activated their duel-disks as their Life Point count started at 4000 each, but Bakura revealed himself as the Millennium Ring reappeared on his neck.

They both drew their hands, with the thief drawing one more to start the duel. "I'll start with this in Attack Mode!" He placed a monster down, showing a painting, but a fiend came out. "The Portrait's Secret, and that'll end my turn."

Yume just looked surprised at it, but no one could see her expression as she drew her card, then placed down a monster of her own. "Gazelle, The King of Mythical Beasts in Attack Mode!" Her beast showed up. "Attack now!"

Her beast clawed the portrait twice, rendering it destroyed while sending the thief's Life Points down to 3700. She lays one card face down and ended her turn. Though a couple of her friends are a bit surprised that she played, though they thought she was Faith and not Yume.

He drew his next card, then placed another weak monster in Attack. "Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams!" At first, it looked like someone sleeping on a bed, but a warrior spirit showed up, freaking out Joey a bit.

"You think that'll stop me from attacking? You have no face-downs, and I can attack without worry." She drew her card, then played Gamma, the Magnet Warrior. She ordered him to attack the ghost, destroying it with one punch and sending his Life Points down to 3500.

"King of Mythical Beasts, attack his Life Points with a direct attack!" The beast slashed at the thief, dropping his Life Points down to 2000, halfway for him to losing.

"I've played with you enough, Faith!" The thief drew his card, smirked, then summoned Headless Knight in Attack Mode. Yume said that she can't see it. "Maybe because he's also a spirit. Waiting for the right time to strike." And pretty soon, the knight came in view.

Yume drew her card, then ordered Gamma to attack him. "Gazelle, make another Direct Attack on his Life Points!" Gazelle made another slash, dropping his Life Points to his last 450. She waited for him to make one more move, but he started laughing hard.

"I've fooled you, Faith! I've lured you into a trap, and there's no way that you would win this time! Because of your help, I needed those three Fiend's destroyed so I could play the card that will lead to your ultimate demise!"

He drew his card, then revealed it to Yume. "Dark Necrofear!" A spirit traveled around. "You've never faced this experience before." Now, his Dark Necrofear is in full view. (ATK/DEF: 2200/2800.)

"I thought you were planning something, Bakura."

"I hope you're ready to accept defeat, Faith. Because this is one trap you will never make it through! She's one of the most destructive cards in my deck. You'll never stop it. She possesses a dark magic hidden within, as well as more Attack Points than either of your monsters."

"She may be powerful, but not unbeatable." The thief just played two cards face down, and ended his turn. _That's strange! If anything, I would've chosen to attack if I were him, destroying Gazelle. But I wonder why. And I'm thinking it may have been involved by his two face downs being part of his plan._

' _Yume,'_ she heard Yami speaking, _'if you destroy Dark Necrofear, be careful of the consequences it comes with.'_

She nodded, draws her card, then comes to a decision. "I'll sacrifice Gazelle to play a more powerful monster on my side!" Gazelle was gone as it was replaced by a female magician. "So I could summon Dark Magician Girl!" _My mother._

The thief implied that she's not strong enough. "I guess you're the fool because you didn't take notice of my face down, which is actually," she revealed it, "my Magic Formula Magic card! This would increase Dark Magician Girl's Attack Points by an additional 500!"

"NOOOO!" The thief shouted out as Yume called forth the attack, dropping his Life Points to his final chunk. But he smiled as soon as Dark Necrofear was destroyed. "Everything came according to plan, thanks to you. Now… this duel is in my favor!" He placed a card where the field spell should be as it started getting more sinister.

"What manner of trickery is this, Bakura?"

"Just watch as the entire playing field becomes enshrouded in dark magic known as Dark Sanctuary! It all had to work perfectly as I planned it. And you were the first victim. You played well, Faith. Prepare to face an evil unlike never you've ever seen!"

"You're not even a threat to me! You have only 150 Life Points with no monsters. I could easily defeat you with one more attack."

"Easier said than done, Faith! The evil ghost of Dark Sanctuary will be protecting me, which changes my fortune dramatically."

"It won't frighten me, Bakura. One more attack against you and it'll go well beyond heavy risk." The thief told her it was too heavy of a risk.

"Dark Sanctuary provides me with a power beyond your understanding. But go ahead and attack me. That is, if you are so confident!"

"Gamma, end this with a Direct Attack!" Gamma started approaching the thief, but the evil ghost came out from Gamma and struck Yume instead. "What… happened?! I feel like my own attack backfired!"

"Very observant. Because your monster was possessed by the evil ghost of Dark Sanctuary! _That_ is how I was able to turn your monsters against you!" She asked if he possessed them all. "Just figure it out for yourself with the nerve to attack me again!"

Yume just growled, but gasped as he said that there was another power behind Dark Sanctuary. "You'll find out what else Dark Sanctuary is capable of soon enough. But we'll deal with the situation at hand, for the meantime." She asked for a further explanation, he continued.

"Since you attacked with a monster that was possessed, half of those Attack Points goes directly against your Life Points!" She gasped as they drop to 3250. "And to make sure those Life Points don't go to waste, the amount that's lost will be added to my Life Points." He was regained to 900 while he laughs it away.

Yume called out that she could still win. "We'll see soon enough, Faith. With no idea of the terror that lurks in my deck, everything will be a surprise!" He drew his next card, then prepared to continue his strategy.

"I play DESTINY BOARD!" A board showed up. Yume demanded what it does. "With it, I'll be able to communicate with the lost souls of the Shadow Realm." She slightly gasped. _My parents will know!_ "That's where the letters on the board come in handy, spelling out a message for you. Time for the first letter of the message!"

The hand moved the piece for letter reading move around before stopping at F, then a whisp with the letter F showed up. "What will Destiny Board spell out?"

"You'll find out, as Destiny Board will reveal one letter per turn. Once the message is complete, namely in 5 turns, victory is automatically mine!" Yume said that she's not afraid, when she's actually shaking her card-free hand ever so slightly.

The thief just kept laughing. "With my evil ghost possessing your monsters and my Destiny Board on the playing field, you're done! 4 more turns is all I need for a victory!" He picks a card from his hand, and places it on the field. "DARK DOOR enters in, too!"

' _Yume, this is troublesome enough!'_ She heard Dark Magician Girl called out to her. _'As long as Dark Door is on the field, you're only allowed to attack with just one monster each turn!'_

' _As if that wouldn't worry me enough, Mother! Two questions rise up to my mind: How can I defeat Destiny Board? And what is my monster side?'_

' _You'll understand you're monster side soon enough! Not only that, but he'll only have one monster out, only to disperse it to keep Destiny Board in play, as it requires him to sacrifice a monster each turn.'_

' _I'll have to play smart, Mother! I know I'll defeat him.'_ With the thief's turn over, Yume draws her card, then thinks over of how she should attack him, until she made a decision. "Kuriboh in Defense! And I'll have Dark Magician Girl for a Direct Attack!"

She started coming after him, but the evil ghost came out of her and inflicted damage on Yume instead, having her grunt in pain! "But… how is that possible?!"

"Because with each turn Dark Sanctuary is in play, I can choose to possess one monster on your side of the field! You lost more Life Points as I gain what was lost!" (Yume: 2000; Bakura: 2150.) "You're turn is over, so you know what happens next."

The hand moved the instrument around, revealing an I. "The next letter for Destiny Board is I." A whisp with the letter I showed up. "Three left before your ultimate defeat!"

"Hold on! It's impossible for you to win with Destiny Board." Bakura asked for an explanation. "Our duel disks have only 5 slots, and with your Dark Door out, it'll be difficult for you to completely spell out the message within time."

"You're observant of that, but it's a flaw that Dark Sanctuary can correct. I can play more than five, even with Dark Door out in the field!" He drew his card, then summoned Sangan. "But he won't be around for long as I need him for Destiny Board." He disappeared.

"Not only that, but his ability lets me get another monster from my deck to add to my hand." He does so, then ends his turn, picking a monster to choose from.

Yume draws, then decides on her three monsters on which one is possessed by the evil spirit. Dark Magician Girl looked at her with a worried expression, and she noticed it. She looked at the card she drew, before coming to a decision.

"Big Shield Gardna in Defense!" Her tribesman with a huge shield showed up.

"Nothing can protect your Life Points from the ghost of Dark Sanctuary!" _Here goes! Hope I don't screw up on this one._ "Gamma, make a Direct Attack on his Life Points!" Gamma started to approach as she prepared for the spirit attack, but felt nothing.

"You've guessed right, Faith. But don't celebrate just yet because my Trap is activated!" He revealed his face down. "Dark Spirit of the Silent!" A spirit came out and stopped Gamma from advancing any further.

"This card will stop your Magnet Warrior's attack. You'd think I'd allow you to make a Direct Attack on me? But there's more to my Trap. In exchange for stopping your attack, I choose a different monster to attack in his place."

' _Yume! That thief has me possessed and he'll choose me, so brace yourself!'_ She saw the lips of her monster moving, but she felt like she heard it in her own head.

"DARK MAGICIAN GIRL! ATTACK ME!" Gamma drew back as Dark Magician Girl approached him, the evil ghost came out and prepared to strike Yume.

Instead of her tensing up for the attack, she relaxed her muscles, taking the hit with less resistance, which happened to be less painful than she thought. She dropped to 750 Life Points while Bakura's raises to 3400. But in the event of the attack, Yume was down on her knees, with her hood barely keeping her details secured.

"You're getting weaker as I get stronger! The end is near, Faith!" He laughed a lot more.

 _How can I destroy something I can't even see? All it'll take is one more possessed monster, and the duel is over. I know I have something in my hand that'll turn this duel around!_ Yume looked at her, and saw it right before her very eyes.

"Two cards face down, and that'll be all!" She made sure that the thief, and Dark Sanctuary, would be ready to get removed from the field. Destiny Board decides to add the letter N, which a wisp of it decides to show up. Two turns to go, and then it's all over!

The thief drew his next card, but then played it: Souls of the Forgotten. But it only stayed to keep Dark Sanctuary in play. "That ends my turn, but choose wisely as one of them will be possessed."

Yume just smiled as the hood stays above her head and got back up. "Time to go with style." He gasped as she drew her next card. "Time to dispose of your evil ghost." The evil ghost moved around and possessed one of Yume's monsters.

The thief just laughed while Yume kept a blank expression as she revealed one of her face downs. "Collected Power!" He gasped. "It forces certain Magic cards to focus their effects on Kuriboh!" Magic Formula changed to Kuriboh.

"Now, who's in control now? Now I know that the evil ghost lives in Dark Sanctuary. Which is why I had to play my Trap. It would force your ghost to leave from its hiding place and take possession of Kuriboh."

"What do you plan on next, Faith?!" Yume just smiled, and revealed a Magic card in her hand.

"This handy Magic card is called Exile of the Wicked, this will automatically destroy Kuriboh, as it destroys every Fiend-type monster on the field. And Kuriboh is the only one!" Kuriboh warbled before getting destroyed with the ghost.

"I can still beat you in two more turns! You won't make it in time when everything's in plan and you're finished when the time comes."

She just smiled. "Don't count on it just yet. My turn isn't over. And I'm bringing back an old friend from the graveyard because of MONSTER REBORN!" Her other face down was revealed.

"And the monster I choose is in _your_ graveyard: DARK NECROFEAR!" She showed up, then Dark Sanctuary started fading away. "Since Dark Necrofear had to be destroyed, I figured bringing it back would reseal the darkness within."

"This can't be!"

"Oh yes! Now that Dark Sanctuary is gone, you will no longer be able to have more than 5 Magic cards on your field, which ruins some of your plans. And Dark Necrofear, attack his Life Points directly."

Dark Necrofear charged up her eyes, then released a blast of energy at the thief, who lost Life Points that dropped down to 1200. "Since you're Life Points are about to be done, and since I've done my attack of the turn, I have to end it."

The fourth letter was revealed, showing an A, which a wisp showed with that letter, and Yume found out what the word is being spelt. "It's 'FINAL,' isn't it? Too bad you won't be able to do so."

The thief looked at his duel disk and groaned. "With all five slots filled in, the only way you could do so is get rid of Dark Door, but that will allow me to attack more than once each turn. So, either way you go, you're finished! Take your last turn."

He drew, then laughed. "This is my last turn: My last turn to regain control with the card I hold now!"

"How can this be?! I'm pretty sure I can still beat you."

"Don't be so faithful of it. This card will lead to your demise as I play it! Even though you drained the magic off of Dark Sanctuary, but it was just temporarily!" He played his monster down. "Jowgen the Spiritualist!" A priest showed up holding a staff. (ATK/DEF Points: 200/1300.)

 _What's his plan involvement with Jowgen? I better be on my guard!_ Yume thought as she eyed the monster as well as the thief as he started laughing.

"By discarding one card from my hand, his ability will be activated, destroying every monster that was Special Summoned!" He discarded one card, and Jowgen started twirling his staff before pointing it at Dark Necrofear, destroying her, and bringing back Dark Sanctuary.

Yume gasped as the thief sacrificed Jowgen for keeping Dark Sanctuary in play and ended his turn. "But know that it'll be your last!"

 _It's time to figure out if I'm ready or not! Here goes._ "My draw!" She drew her next card, but, even when she's not looking, she heard some kind of growl. She looked at it: Slifer the Sky Dragon.

 _NO WAY! I was pretty sure I would give up hope, but it looks like Ishizu is right. Yami told me of the encounter she had with her and said that Slifer would come in handy at some point._

' _Yume!'_ She heard Yami say to her. _'Play Slifer this turn. He'll have enough power to win. WIth three other cards in your hand, you'll end this duel!'_

' _That's right! Here goes nothing. Wish me luck, Yami!'_ She turned her attention back to the duel, and lightening started forming.

"What's… going on, Faith?!" The thief demanded.

"I'll tell you what's going on." Yume said as she pulled back her hood, making everyone gasp. "I'm not really Faith. I disguised myself to enter this tournament. I fooled everyone, and now it's time to see if I'll do the same _he_ does!"

 _Can this really be?!_ Seto thought with wide eyes. _Will she really pull through with this?!_

"And now," she said, "I sacrifice Dark Magician Girl, Gamma the Magnet Warrior, and Big Shield Gardna." Each one disappeared upon being called. "And now, it's time to call forth an old friend:" She placed it down in Attack. "SLIFER THE SKY DRAGON!"

Heavy power surged through Dark Sanctuary, as coils of red and black go through, until Slifer becomes completely intact. "And you're probably thinking how I can do such a thing?" Yume asked as her chest-length hair flowed around her! "Well… my father summoned three Egyptian Gods at different points in time!"

Everyone gasped as they realized that Yugi also summoned Slifer through the same way. "He's powerful, Yume." The thief told her. "But a victory is not guarantee with him." Yume demanded for an explanation. "Because of the evil ghost of Dark Sanctuary still roams around the field. He'll take possession of Slifer now!"

The ghost started approaching Slifer, but before it could reach it, it dispersed, as if it wasn't there to begin with. "What's happened?!"

Yume giggled. "Slifer is way too powerful for one Magic card. All of the Egyptian God cards cannot be effective by so many Trap and Magic cards. And those that can are only effective for one turn."

 _How can this be?!_ The thief thought, rather distraught. _I know I should win!_

" _I thought that you might need a tip!"_ Namu said to the thief. _"Slifer's power is 1000 times the number of cards in her hand. And since she has three, that makes 3000! So if she attacks, she wins! And since you have no monsters, and your Trap is useless against Slifer, you're finished."_

"There just _has_ to be a way!"

"Too bad for you! Slifer, start charging up your attack!" Slifer started charging up. "Get ready for a Direct Attack on his-" She suddenly stopped as she felt a heavy dark aura. When she turned around, she saw Marik. "What do _you_ want?!"

"You might want to wait before you attack with Slifer." He said as he held out his Millennium Rod. "Listen as I say that Bakura is under the control of the Millennium Rod, he'll do only what I command him to do."

"I thought it was just the Millennium Ring that contains the spirit?"

"With the Millennium Rod, I can control both, which I'll prove by freeing Bakura's mind!" She looked back at Bakura as he got back down, complaining about his hurting arm.

"Where… am I?" He looked around and saw Yume. "Yume, please help me."

"Bakura, what's going on?!" Marik said that he's in pain because he's weak without the spirit.

"This is very much like how a coward would do, Marik. You've always been a coward, using your Rare Hunters to take the Puzzle!" She just saw Marik left. She looked back at Bakura, as he complained that he's not feeling well. "BAKURA!"

She was about to approach him, but the referee stopped her. "You are not allowed to have contact with your opponent during the duel. You'll be disqualified if you take one more step." She just… stood there, as she desperately needs to get to Bakura.

But at the same time… she can't hurt him! "Continue the duel, or disqualification would be the punishment of refusal of continuing."

Yume started having tears in her eyes. She doesn't know what to do: Risk Bakura getting hurt even more? Or lose Slifer and put the whole world at risk? She can't do either, which is very hard for her. Seto told her to attack with Slifer, and she was given a second warning to make an action.

She was about to make a decision as she prepares to have her hand on her duel disk and surrender, but she heard sinister laughing as she looked to see the thief again, standing. "I'm back, Yume! Go ahead right now."

She wasted no time as she realized that Slifer is fully charged for his attack. She had to attack before it's too late. "Slifer, DIRECT ATTACK NOW! END THIS DUEL!" Slifer released his energy to wipe out the rest of the thief's Life Points and knock him unconscious.

"The winner is duelist number three, Yume Orskov." Yume wasted no time getting to Bakura as she checked him over, and felt a pulse, indicating that he's still alive.


	8. Master Of Ra

Sorry for the long wait, everyone. I'm not gone, so I'm still here! I've been busy making future entries for this story and other ones. I hope those who are reading this are enjoying the story. Have fun, and Yume is the only character I own.

* * *

After waiting for some time after the first of the Battle City Finals, with Yume as the winner, everyone showed up back at the main hall for the next two duelists. But one doesn't show up either.

The selector choose a number at random, getting one inside the mouth, which brings it to the number 2. "Joey Wheeler is the first contestant." Serenity cheered that on. The selector picked the second number: 7. "And his opponent will be Marik Ishtar!"

 _This is it,_ Yume thought. _He_ _has_ _to win this! If he wins, that'll bring us one step closer to ending this together._

"Hope you got a parachute ready," Joey said to Marik, "because I'm blasting you off of this blimp! You got that, Marik?"

After everything is ready, everyone was outside, with Joey and Marik on the elevating platform. Both Marik and Joey shuffled their decks, place them in the appropriate spot, and move on to their respective sides.

 _I'll make sure to make him pay for controlling my noggin._ He thought as he turned around and see Marik with the Millennium Rod out. "That's enough, Marik! Why don't you fight like a true duelist and put that thing elsewhere?!"

"You don't know how I intend to use it, but it's not for this duel." He put it away, surprising Joey as Yume breathed a sigh of relief. They both drew their respective hands and started the duel with 4000 Life Points each.

Joey drew one more card to start the duel. _I've worked really hard to get to the finals, and I can't screw this up! If I defeat this nutcase, I'll be the hero! He would be kicked out of the competition, and I'll be famous!_

A heavy gust of wind blew his cards out of his hands, but he managed to catch them again and return to his post. And he managed to place a monster down. "I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in Attack Mode!" His knight showed up, all in iron.

"I'll end my turn, and wait to see what you have in store for me." Marik drew his card, then activated a Field Spell.

"I play Temple of the Kings. A card like none you've ever seen!" A building started rising, more likely a temple, behind Marik. Joey demanded what's going on. "The structure behind me is the ancient temple of the kings. Within this 5000-year-old sanctuary lie the greatest treasures of the kings of Egypt."

"And what does that big shack do?"

"To protect the king's treasure, it limits the number of Magic and Trap cards you can play in one turn. And in front of the temple, I'll lay two cards face down as an extra boundary of protection. And that's how I end my turn. So attack me if you dare. You have no idea what lurks within these temple walls."

 _Even though he hasn't summoned a monster, Marik wants Joey to attack so he could activate his facedowns! Joey needs to watch out for those, but that Egyptian Temple worries me even more. Who knows what's hiding in there._

' _Yume,'_ She heard Yami speaking to her, _'Marik is trying to summon the Egyptian God through that temple. Brace yourself in case it does come, like last time.'_ She, of course, agreed, and waited for the outcome of the match.

 _If I'm going to beat this guy, I gotta pull myself together. Not only that, but Giant Trunade will send all of his Magic and Trap cards away, getting rid of his temple! Everything's all figured out!_

 _I'll send a few more monsters in, but not attack. He'll probably send in a couple more facedowns, thinking he's got me in a corner. Then Giant Trunade will come out, blasting away all his Magic and Trap cards. Once that's out of the way, the combined power of my monsters will be enough to wipe out all his Life Points!_ He visions it all in his head.

 _He'll never know what hit him!_ He placed a monster down. "I summon Tiny Guardian in Attack Mode!" His little knight showed up. "That's everything I'll do for now, Chrome Dome."

Yume gasped. _'Yami! Joey's at a lost!'_ Yami asked her to explain further. _'Well, Joey will add another monster or two before playing Giant Trunade. He thought it would work for him, but it caused him harm from last time. I hope he's ready for this!'_

Marik drew his card, then placed two more facedowns. Thus, ending his turn. Joey drew his next card, then summoned Hayabusa Knight, which is an eagle knight. _And now,_ he thought, _with enough monsters to wipe out his Life Points, Giant Trunade…_ He picked up his card. _You're up!_

"Time for your ancient palace to be demolished!" Marik just looked at him as Joey played his Magic card. "GIANT TRUNADE!" A heavy windstorm started approaching Marik's face downs, but it stopped just before reaching them.

 _I knew this was going to happen, just like how Father said._ Yume thought as she watched Marik's facedowns with worry.

"Your Giant Trunade is gone, and more trouble awaits you!"

"What do you mean? All your facedowns, along with Temple of the Kings, should've been gone."

"It's when you made the foolish decision to activate your Giant Trunade, Mr. Wheeler, you in turn triggered one of the most dangerous Traps I've placed on the field to protect myself. And now it's time for you to pay the price with your mistake." Joey asked for an explanation.

"You see, with all of my Trap cards in play, I knew you wouldn't attack me with a monster. You tried to destroy my Traps with a Magic card."

"So… you played a Trap that destroys Magic cards?"

"That's not all it does. The Trap you've just triggered is about to devastate all of your monsters and an extremely large portion of your Life Points. So prepare to feel it's wrath right now!" He revealed his Trap. "JUDGEMENT OF ANUBIS!"

A heavy purple wisp appeared, and started spinning around. "A Trap with such destructive force such as this! Judgement of Anubis will now annihilate every monster you have on the field and deduct half of their Attack Points from your Life Points!" Joey said it was impossible. "Anubis, DESTROY!"

The wisp started hitting Joey's monsters. "Building your army of powerful monsters was a grave miscalculation because they're about to disappear with more than 2000 of your Life Points!" The wisp destroyed every single monster on Joey's field, dropping his Life Points to 1900. "With the horrors that await you, those guys will be the last thing on you mind."

"How can Joey win?!" Serenity called out.

"I have faith, Serenity. If…" She wasn't sure if she should mention Yugi or not, but risk it, anyway. "If what Father told me is true, then this duel would be familiar to those watching it. I just hope Joey plays those cards right. Not only that, but he's been in tougher situations. He just needs support to go all the way to the end." Serenity nodded, and cheered Joey on for the win.

Marik just waited to see if Joey would buckle down in pain, but he just smiled. "Got you good, Marik. You may not realize this because your ponytail's tied too tight, but I fell into your little Trap on purpose, Marik!" Marik gasped.

"That's the ticket! I was just testing you to see if your dueling skills were any better than your sense of style, and it looks like you passed my exam. Now to kick my game up a notch and open up a big tub of duel whip all over you! Make your move!"

He drew his card, but placed two face down and ended his turn. "There's a reason this game's called Duel Monsters because you're supposed to fight your opponent with monster cards, not spend the whole game hiding behind your little Trap cards like a coward."

"If there's a rule that forbids me from playing Trap cards, then tell me now and I'll stop!" Joey growled.

"I'll show you the real meaning of Duel Monsters! MY MOVE!" He drew his card, but Yume is starting to have doubts.

 _Joey's starting to lose his cool, just like what Father said._ Joey played down Aligator Sword in Attack mode.

 _I have to be careful! If I act without thinking, Marik will slaughter me with one of his face downs!_

"I thought you were going to show me how to play the game. I'm still waiting." Marik just stood there, while Joey thought if he should attack prepared or not.

"I'm letting you off easy, Marik, by holding back my attack and placing a face down to end my turn."

 _It's smart, but an attack will have to happen eventually, or Marik might just win this! He needs to come up with a strategy quick, or Marik could easily defeat him._

Marik just decided to pass his turn and move it on to Joey. _Why would he pass his turn?! He's forcing an attack on me._ So far, they both drew their card, given that they both passed: Joey first, then Marik. Joey started losing it before drawing his card, and playing Rocket Warrior.

 _Here it comes! Just like how Father planned it._ Joey ordered Rocket Warrior to make a direct attack. "Reveal, Eye Of Ujat!" His Trap was revealed, and have the eye symbol on Rocket Warrior.

"Now that the Eye Of Ujat appears on the front of your Rocket Warrior, it is under my control, and I shall redirect its attack to one of your own monsters! CHANGE YOUR TARGET TO ALLIGATOR'S SWORD!"

Rocket Warrior reaimed at Alligator's Sword, but Joey decided to play Fairy Box, to which a box showed up, and Alligator's Sword came inside. _He activated a Trap card to protect his own monster?_

"That's right!" Yume called out. "And since Alligator's Sword is inside, he's protected by the attack, which means that the attack has been short-circuited!" _And just like how it went so far._

Joey thought he had it in the bag, until Marik said that he fell for another one of his Traps. Joey asked for an explanation, but he chuckled. "You're about to see what I mean firsthand. While I may be short on monsters, I possess a Trap card that is both a Trap _and_ a Monster."

"I'm pretty sure that the barber clipped some of your brain when he was cutting your hair."

"Prepare to experience the power of an extremely rare breed of card that's known as a Trap-Monster!"

' _I actually expected such a thing, because Father was surprised at first.'_

' _Too true, Yume. In this duel, Joey barely made it on top due to one monster's attack of refusal to obey and struck them both down.'_

' _Right. Now, to wait and see how it goes!'_

"Not only do I possess such a rare Trap-Monster card, but when you attacked, you activated it! And now feel the rage of a card like none you've ever seen before! There's no escaping from the Embodiment of Apophis!" His Trap was revealed.

"It triggers like a Trap, but attacks like a Monster! I'd say this card disproves your theory about my deck and it's weakness, Mr. Wheeler!"

 _Well, that's a strategy blown._ "Not only did you activate it, you also activated not one, but _three_ of my Apophis cards! And now it's time to meet your doom. Come forth, my beasts!" Wisps of purple smoke hit the field as it all transformed into three monsters, each with the same strength. (ATK/DEF: 1600/1800.)

Each is a reptile soldier with a shield and a sword. "Just be strong, Joey! You can still win this!"

"You are at the end of your rope. Now, then, for someone who was so vocal before, you seem to be very silent. Perhaps you've realized that talk doesn't win duels. It takes skill and power. And as soon as my three creatures attack, you'll see exactly what I mean: YOU'RE FINISHED!"

Stuck at 1900 Life Points remaining, Joey needs to find a way to get rid of them before it's too late. "Joey has to be prepared for Marik's three reptiles. Otherwise, Marik can easily defeat him!" _And that's not really Marik. From what Father described, that's Odion._

Joey drew his card, places one facedown, then ended his turn by switching Alligator's Sword from Attack to Defense.

"Seems like a final desperate move to me."

"We'll just see, won't we?" _As soon as he attacks, Scapegoats would save me, but not for long, though. He'll fall into my Trap once again._

"You're about to feel what real power can accomplish, Mr. Wheeler. Now my three beasts, ATTACK!"

"You were in for a surprise, Marik. GO, SCAPEGOAT!" His Magic card was revealed, and four goat tokens showed up. "They'll absorb all three of your snake attacks!"

"Good, but not good enough." He discarded one card, then revealed Magic Jammer. "I reveal the Trap card Magic Jammer! By discarding one card from my hand, Scapegoat's no more!" His goat's disappeared as all three Apophis destroyed Rocket Warrior and Alligator's Sword. The third one attacked him directly!

All of those attacks sent him to his knees as he's on his last 200 Life Points. "It's all over, Mr. Wheeler! One attack would leave you defenseless, but one attack will finish you off! You made it all the way to the Battle City Finals just to lose on your knees. You may as well stay down, because I'm about to take away the few Life Points you have left!"

And hearing Marik's suggesting to surrender, Joey has his hand over his duel disk, ready to be placed down, but Mai stopped that. "Don't you even think about listening to this nut-job!" Joey asked why he shouldn't.

"Well, is that how you got here, by just giving up when the odds are against you? Or did you keep on fighting until the very end? Just think about it."

 _Well, I did win some pretty tough duels: Weevil, Espa Roba, even Mako Tsunami. I beat them by playing my hardest. And it helped me win by the end of this duel! I can't just give up! Mai has a point there._ Joey removed his hand from the top of his duel disk, then got back up.

Serenity explained how Joey was an inspiration to her, then he turned to Marik. "Bet you didn't have anyone who cared about you like that, pal!"

"I did, but that was a time so long ago." _More likely, a certain someone pulled me away from the darkness, so I know what it feels like to be loved._

"You can do this, Joey!" Yume called out with Serenity. "We all know you'll pull through!"

"You staying down on your knees in defeat, or continue this duel? Just give in and face reality. Just a suggestion from me alone." Marik said, but Joey just laughed.

"I'm not backing out. I've gone too far to give up now. If I quit now, I'll be letting down everyone who ever believed in me, not to mention letting myself down. I've been in tighter spots and I still pull through." Memories of the duels he finished with Espa Roba, Weevil, and Mako flashed before him.

 _I fought my hardest to get where I am right now. And I never let anyone get the best of me, even when all hope seemed lost. So why should I start now?_ "You think I'm gonna lose to you? Then guess again, tough guy! I came to the finals to win this thing!"

"You tell him, Joey! Now, do what you would've done, and get out of this tight spot!"

"I've defeated three of the toughest duelists out there to earn my way onto this blimp, you light-bulb head! And I'm not gonna let you or your shiny skull stop me from finishing what I started."

"You got this, Joey! Now… win this duel!"

"Don't you worry, Yume. I got this. Here we go!" He drew his card, with Marik thinking how foolish he was, and prepare to destroy him.

"You got this, Joey! Remember what happens when you win against Marik!"

 _Yume's right! If I win this, not only will Marik's plans be crushed this time, but Yugi will return, as he's the father of Yume._ "I promised Yume that I'd help her stop you from achieving whatever sick and twisted goals that you and your Rare Hunters have, Marik. And I'm gonna keep that promise by knocking you out of the finals, got it?"

He looked at his card, then said to him that he'll be losing everything. "YOU'RE FALSE THREATS DON'T FRIGHTEN ME, MR. WHEELER!"

"I place two cards face down, then summon Swordsman of Landstar in Defense Mode! I'll let you take over."

 _His determination is surprising. There has to be a way of his retaliation when he has only 200 Life Points._ "I hoped you've enjoyed your brief experience as a Battle City Finalist. Embodiment of Apophis, TRIPLE ATTACK NOW!"

"I got you right where I want you, Marik. Because I reveal Foolish Burial!" He revealed his Magic card. "It lets me put one card in my hand and send it to your Graveyard. Then I'll reveal my Trap, Graverobber!" He revealed his Trap.

"And you plan to use him to steal a card from my Graveyard?"

"Did you figure that out all by yourself or did someone send you a cheet sheat? Yes, Einstein, I'm gonna rob your Grave!" Graverobber cackled as he has a card in his hands. "I've taken back the card I just put in there." The card glowed to reveal Jinzo, then he came to the field.

"That's an extremely powerful monster you just summoned!"

"If I can recall correctly, your snake creatures were a special breed of monsters that also happened to be Trap cards. Your slimey reptiles have all the strengths of a Trap cards, but they all have the weaknesses, too." Marik forced for an explanation.

"Jinzo's special ability lets him destroy Trap cards. Jinzo, wipe out his serpents!" Jinzo's eyes started glowing. At full power, they released an eye beam that hits Marik's monsters, destroying them all. "I won Jinzo on my first Battle City duel against a real opponent."

"That's right, Joey! You got him on the run now."

"Do you still think I'm still an amateur or did you learn your lesson?"

"I'm not through with you yet, Mr. Wheeler! Because I still have every single Life Point because I've neither gained a point, nor lost one."

"Not for long, Marik. You see, with Jinzo on my side, you're Trap cards are ancient history."

 _I got Jinzo by defeating Espa Roba, and his card is giving me the strength to beat Marik._ Joey drew his next card and looked at it. "I summon Battle Warrior in Attack Mode!" His Warrior showed up. "I'm not done because Swordsman of Landstar is being switched to Attack Mode!" Swordsman of Landstar raised his shield and replaced it with his sword.

"Time for some payback, Marik! Jinzo, make a Direct Attack on his Life Points!" Jinzo used his orb of energy at point-blank range to drop Marik's Life Points to 1600. "Battle Wariror and Swordsman of Landstar, make a Direct Attack on his Life Points!" With the combined powers of the two, Marik had his Life Points dropped to 400 as he skidded back a bit.

"You got this, Joey! You're almost there! You can do this." _Even though Odion can't play his Trap cards, that doesn't mean he can still play Magic cards._

"Don't feel so tough now, do you? Maybe you should've protected yourself a little better." Marik retained his position after the knockback and just looked at Joey.

"Attack me all you want. You can't win. Remember that I still possess my Temple of the Kings card, a card that has ancient powers so strong, it can't be stopped. Just wait until you experience its unparalleled force."

"Your palace doesn't scare me, Marik." _I highly doubt it, Joey._ Yume thought when Joey said that. _If anything, I bet that that temple will be used to summon a fake Ra._ "I think I've already proven that Joey Wheeler doesn't sit back and let people walk all over him. So bring it on! I can take whatever you got and dish it right back, buddy. Just make your move."

The real Millennium Rod, which was held behind Namu, glowed with the eye. _"Listen to me, Odion. You've allowed Joey Wheeler to come too far. Now destroy him at once or face severe consequences."_

 _Yes, Master Marik._

" _He's useless, you fool! Now finish him off!"_

 _Not to worry, Master. I won't disappoint you. In fact, I've already figured out a way to render his monsters useless._ "This should hold you up, Mr. Wheeler." He picked a Magic card from his hand and plays it. "I play Swords of Revealing Light!"

Swords made out of light came to Joey's side and surrounded his monsters, making him unable to attack for 3 turns. _Even though Joey can't attack, he can still sacrifice his monsters to summon stronger ones. Even though Jinzo can't attack, it still prevents Odion from playing Traps._

Joey drew his card, then prepared his move. "Even though I can't attack, I can still sacrifice Battle Warrior to play a stronger monster!" His warrior disappeared as a tribesman on a shark took his place. "The Legendary Fisherman." (ATK/DEF Points: 1850/1600)

 _I know how much,_ Joey thought, _this card meant to you, Mako, and I promised you I'd use it well._ "But before my turn is over, my monsters will now switch to Defense Mode." Swordsman of Landstar raised his shield while Jinzo kneeled down with his arms crossed.

Marik held up his duel disk. "Prepare to lose!" He drew his card, then looked at it: The Winged Dragon of Ra. He looked at it with great shock

" _Why do you seemed so shocked, Odion? If you're posing as me, you should have my card in your deck. Right? That's why I slipped it in before the duel."_

 _But, Master, this card is too dangerous. And I'm not meant to control its great power. You can't possibly expect me to play it. Please reconsider, I beg of you!_

" _Stop whimpering! You sound pitiful. I command you to play that card. It's the only way to win this duel. You must play it within the Ancient Ark on the Temple Steps. And when the time is right, you will release its rage!"_

Marik looked back at Joey. "I play one card facedown. Now prepare yourself, Mr. Wheeler, for the next card I play will be the final instrument to your destruction!" He picked up a card. "I seal this card in the sacred ark of the temple!" A bigger version of a Duel Monsters card, back side facing towards Joey, before being inside the sacred ark.

"You have no idea what I've just done by securing this all-powerful card within my ancient sanctuary. By sealing this card of the Gods, I have also sealed your fate! And that ends my turn." _CARD OF THE GODS?! It must be the Winged Dragon of Ra!_

Joey drew his next card, then played a Magic card. "I'll be bringing a monster back from the Graveyard using Monster Reborn! Alligator's Sword shall come back!" Alligator's Sword came back.

"I'm not finished yet, Marik. I'll sacrifice Alligator's Sword and Swordsman of Landstar so I can summon this-" He placed the monster down. "-MY INSECT QUEEN!" His spider had her legs out of the card, then the whole body came out in Defense Mode. (ATK/DEF Points: 2200/2400) "I won this card from a feisty little germ called Weevil Underwood."

 _All of my Battle City victories is starting to pay off right now. Because those duels got me 3 incredible monsters._ Joey thought as he looked at them.

 _That's impressive! I've heard from my friends that Joey won these cards against Espa Roba, Mako, and Weevil. He has become a long way as a duelist since this Battle City Tournament began a second time._

"Look out, Marik, because your Swords of Revealing Light will lose their power next turn. And when those lights go out, there'll be nothing holding my monsters back. And since you have nothing to protect you, you're finished."

"You think that just because you were able to summon a few strong monsters, you can defeat _me_. You're so naive, for I am about to summon a beast that you can't destroy. While you're monsters were trapped in my Swords of Revealing Light, I was able to prepare for the arrival of my ancient creature." Joey started losing his cool a little and started sweating.

"This all-powerful entity will serve as the guardian of the sacred Temple Of The Kings, protecting my ancient sanctuary and all of the secrets that lie within. In other words, you can't win once I play THIS-" He played a card down. "CUP OF SEALED SOULS! Then I reveal my facedown known as Seal of Serket!"

 _I don't like the looks of this! Joey could be finished, if it were not for Marik convincing Odion to summon the Winged Dragon of Ra. Thanks to all three of his Magic cards, he's able to summon Beast of Serket to the field. And with that thing out, it's impossible for Joey to win without his monsters!_

She thought too soon as smoke started forming around, until Marik's beast showed up. "You don't scare me!" Joey said confidentally. "I'll find a way to crush your oversize scorpian, Marik!"

"I would find this amusing, provided that my Serket is more powerful than all three of your monsters, Mr. Wheeler. The only question is, 'Which is the first one it should devour?' And it's pointless for you to try and stop my ancient creature because there's not a card in your deck powerful enough to do it." Joey looked at his deck inside his duel disk.

Serenity asked Yume if Joey would win this. "I have faith in him, Serenity. Even though Marik has the upper hand, Joey can still beat him." _Not only that,_ she thought, _but this duel is just like how the Pharaoh described it between Joey and Odion._ "All that's needed is the weakness within the Serket before his Life Points reach zero."

Mai asked her about the Winged Dragon of Ra, inside the ark. "That's his Egyptian God card." _He'll need to win before that card is played, but I doubt it'll happen. Depends on how this turns out._

"It's time for you to make your final move, Mr. Wheeler! Before my Mystical Beast annihilates you, and thanks to my Swords of Revealing Light, you still can't attack."

 _Well, here goes nothing!_ Joey thought as he drew his card and looks at it: Polymerization. _That card's useless for now! I have to destroy his Mystical Beast Serket before it knocks me out of the finals!_ "I'll just have to pass my turn for the risk, Marik."

"One move that's desperate." Marik drew his next card. "Say goodbye! My beast can't be stopped. SO FEEL HIS ANCIENT FURY! ATTACK HIS JINZO NOW!" His Hystical Beast came after Jinzo and grabbed him, not only destroying him, but half of Jinzo's ATK Points were added in, making the Mystical Beast's total ATK Points 3700.

"Not only is that the only effect, it only gets bigger and uglier!" He drew his card, but he has to pass.

Marik then ordered his Serket to attack his Insect Queen, raising the ATK Points to 4900. "There's no stopping me, Mr. Wheeler! You're finished!"

"Hang in there, Joey! You can still win this!" _I hope he pulls through, though._

"I'm taking my turn now, Marik!" He drew his card, then looked at his hand: Polymerization, Salamandra Sword, and Shield and Sword. _How am I supposed to win with three usless Magic cards?!_ Joey can't do anything except to pass his turn.

"Ending your turn was smart, but forfieting would be even smarter!"

"Zip it, Marik! You may look creepy, but I'm not scared, and there's no way I'm going to lose this duel! My little sister should continue to see me duel, and making sure that I win this duel."

"How very touching, but nothing can save you now."

"He's definately," Mai said, "come a long way since the last time I dueled him. He's made plenty of great comebacks, but I think his streak will end here on this blimp. He did what he could, though."

"Mai." Yume said. "There's more to it than that. Look at his eyes!" Mai did, and saw some surprised as he said that it's Marik's turn now.

"They burn with a fire that I've never seen in him before. Like… he knows that he's going to win. But how could he do that? Even _I_ couldn't think of a move to save him!"

"It's what Joey feels in his heart that matters, Mai. It's his determination to beat Marik, which is very strong. So, Joey believes he could win this duel, even though the likelihood of his victory over Marik is extremely small. He vowed with me to put an end to Marik's scheme, and he's keeping that promise." Mai asked how Joey would win.

"All he has to do is trust in himself and believe in the heart of the cards, he'll soon find a way."

With Marik's turn, he calls upon his Serket to attack Joey's Legendary Fisherman, raising the ATK Points of the Serket to 5825. _I'm sorry, Mako. I didn't mean to turn your card into a fish-stick dinner._ "Make your last move."

Joey drew his card, but can't do anything about it and passed his turn. He just stood there, not shocked by anything, until he said that he's not going to lose. That's when everyone gasped.

"Can't explain how I know. But I got this strange feeling that this duel heads to my victory. Kinda like a voice inside my head. Go ahead and take your best shot, Marik."

"I will, Mr. Wheeler. And when my Mystical Beast of Serket attacks your Life Points, YOU'RE FINISHED! So say goodbye to the finals."

"Before you make your final attack and win this duel, I got something I want to say to you. I'll never forget when you controlled my mind and forced me to hurt my best friend's daughter in that crazy duel. You didn't have the courage to face her yourself, so you made me do your dirty work while you hide like a coward!"

"I'm facing you now, aren't I?" Joey agreed on that, and Marik told him to look at the scores. "I'm destroying you in a duel face-to-face!"

"It's funny you bring that up. Ever since we started this duel, I've had a weird feeling about you. I can't put my finger on it, but you don't seem to be the same guy that controlled my mind. That Marik was a regular slime-ball. But you played a really fair duel, and it was one of the toughest duels I ever fought."

 _This is really surprising!_ Yume thought. _Not only is Joey feeling that he's facing against Odion, but it was really risky when he brought up my Father._

"Just like I got a little voice deep inside me that tells me I'm not going to lose. That voice also tells me that you're not the rotten snake that took over my brain and forced me to duel her! And I'm sure of it! You are not Marik! I always trust what I feel in my gut, and it's telling me two things: You're not who you're pretending to be. And you won't win!"

Both Marik and Namu growled while Kaiba said that it was insane. _Long story short, Kaiba. You should've checked back when it was just Father, you, Joey, and Marik in the finals. Now, if all goes well, it'll be the same, except I'm taking Dad's place._ She looked back at Namu, and sensed an evil within him almost immediately. _Yep, that's Marik for sure!_

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Marik called out and pulled out the Millennium Rod. "Only the real Marik wields the power of the Millennium Rod! Think of that before you listen to those senseless voices of yours, Mr. Wheeler! Now let me finish this duel!"

Marik drew his card, then ordered to prepare a Direct Attack on Joey's Life Points, but Namu was quick and ordered him in his thoughts to stop his attack. The beast stopped just before snapping Joey's neck!

"Shouldn't Joey be a scorpian snack right about now?" Duke asked in surprise.

 _I held back my attack as you requested, Master Marik. But why?!_

" _I want you to destroy him with the Egyptian God card! Play the Winged Dragon of Ra! It's the only way to convince everyone that you are me! My true identity must be kept a secret if I am to gain the powers of the Pharaoh along with his Apprentice!"_

 _But it's too dangerous, Master! Please! Don't make me remove the Winged Dragon of Ra from the sacred ark!_

" _If you want everyone to think that you are me, then you should play that Egyptian God. Not only that, but so I could rule as Pharaoh!"_

 _Master Marik! Playing the Winged Dragon of Ra is too dangerous! Please reconsider your request!_

" _Listen to me, Odion! Ever since I remember, you longed to be a part of my family. Well this is your chance to finally join the Tomb Keeper's clan by serving me, the future Pharaoh! Now, fulfill your duty and play that Egyptian God card!"_

 _Yes. I'll be a true tomb keeper. I know the dangers are great, but I must serve my Master._

 _I know why Odion stopped his attack. But I want to see if it'll work._

"Prepare to experience an ancient power like nothing you've ever seen before or will see again! I am Marik. And to prove it, I will now play my Egyptian God card!"

"Didn't see that coming."

 _But I did. Father informed me of all the duels he's seen and faced. I can only hope that it ends the same as it did when he was here._

"But in order for me to release my Egyptian God Moster from the ark, I must sacrifice my Mystical Beast Serket first! Once this giant guardian of the temple is no more, I can release the most powerful creature that ever walked the Earth from within the sacred ark." He turned around and faced the tomb, Millennium Rod pointing at it.

"Ancient One, hear my call! I now offer up my Mystical Beast along with half my Life Points to release thee!" His Life Points drop from 400 to 200 as his Serket gets destroyed.

"Come forth my Winged Dragon and reveal your awesome strength in the name of the next great Pharaoh: King Marik!" The tomb opened up and revealed the card as it brought a beam of light upwards, creating mystified clouds as the beam extended, showing the shadow version of the beast. "SHOW YOURSELF, MY BEAST!"

The Winged Dragon of Ra came down, but still as a shadow version. "Let anyone who doubts my power feel the fire of the mighty Winged Dragon of Ra! A being like no other! The strongest of _all_ Egyptian God Monsters! But remember that my Mystical Beast has absorbed the powers of your Jinzo, Insect Queen, _and_ the Legendary Fisherman!"

Joey was getting scared as the calculated Attack Points equal 5825. "And those Attack Points are transferred to my Winged Dragon of Ra! And once it attacks you, Mr. Wheeler, you'll wish you'd never entered this tournament! You'll be losing the rest of your Life Points soon enough!"

"So, what you waiting for? Take your best shot, Baldy!"

"Yume, don't you remember that your Egyptian God card injured Bakura?!"

"I remember, Téa. But… if what I think is true, then the outcome is possible."

" _You've made our family proud today, Odion. Your handling of the Egyptian God card copy proves you are one of us, once and for all and it has convinced our skeptical friends that you are me!"_

"You're time has run out, Mr. Wheeler. Winged Dragon of Ra," he called out. "Attack his Life Points directly!" The beast let out a roar, but didn't attack just yet.

"Looks like your dragon's got other plans!" Marik turned around and commanded Dragon of Ra to attack, yet it still does nothing.

 _This is exactly how Dad described it!_ Yume thought as she saw the storm. Lightening struck the playing field, yet it hasn't hit niether duelist.

 _Master Marik,_ he thought, _I am not worthy enough to control this card. Just as I was not worthy enough to be a part of your family. Forgive me, Master, I've failed you again._ He looked up, still with his eyes closed, and got struck by the lightening.

The Millennium Rod that he held started cracking, then exploded as he was rendered unconscious. Yume quickly found out that the Millennium Rod was a fake. Joey was about to approach Odion, but he got quickly struck by lightening, then fell unconscious.

"Even though they've been rendered unconscious, both duelists have 200 Life Points remaining. And according to Battle City rules, the duel is still going on."

Yume got up to face the referee. "Then how about a proposition: Whichever duelist gets up first is declared the winner?" Everyone gasped as they never thought of Yume being this forward before.

"I'm sure it was nothing involving the duel disk." Yume looked and saw that it was Seto who spoke. "Whatever that storm was, it just a freak act of nature and nothing more." The referee asks for a double disqualification.

"No! Since both duelists are tied, I'll agree with Yume. Five minutes is the time limit. Whichever one gets up to his feet first is the winner and move on in the finals."

Everyone has been supporting Joey to wake up, but two minutes passed and nothing happens. But Odion found out that Marik needed help and started to get up. First from his hands, and now he's lifting up slightly until he's able to be on his hands and knees.

But when the winner was about to be announced for Odion, he fell again. Yume saw that happen, then turned her attention back to Joey. _Please, Joey… get up!_

' _He will, Yume.'_ Yami said to her. _'Just keep cheering him on, and he'll wake up.'_ Yume told her that she knew, yet she continued for another minute.

Niether duelist has yet to come up, but when the referee was about to call that time was up, Joey was suddenly up on his feet, unaware of what's happened. "Joey, you did it!" He looked and saw his friends and younger sister there, all smiling.

"You won the duel, Joey!" He nodded, then proceeded to Odion with Yume coming to them as the platform lowered. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"This guy's still hurt." Yume went down on her knees and looked at Odion.

"You okay, Odion?" He slowly opened his eyes upon hearing Yume, but looked at Joey.

"Forgive me Joey. It was an honor to duel you." Joey asked him who he was. "A servant of the real Master Marik." He pointed over to Namu, but he was clutching his head with the Millennium Rod in his hand.

' _Mind if I take over, Yume?'_ Yami asked her, yet she disagreed because she doesn't want Marik to know that she's here. Marik just looked at Yume.

"So… you're the daughter of the Pharaoh, aren't you? We finally get to meet face to face. Now, I can finish the job my pathetic servants couldn't! Yume, that puzzle and power will soon be where they belong!" He grunted, and clutched his head again.

' _What's happening, Yami?! It's like… he's not himself!'_

' _Be careful, Yume. His dark side is getting too strong. Now… he won't be able to control it in time!'_ Yume nodded, then heard Marik screaming out as his hair became more wild.

"At last," he said, sounding more sinister. "I'm finally free. Been trapped for years by that fool Odion!" Yume asked who he was. "I'm the true Marik and I'm not as kind as the one you've come to know. And soon, I'll finish the job he couldn't complete and strip you of the powers of the Pharaoh along with his Apprentice. For _I_ deserve to be Pharaoh!" He looked hard at Yume.

"Get ready for the real battle. And when I'm through with you, you're puzzle will be around my neck, where it belongs. And you will be trapped forever in the realm of eternal darkness. Along with your friends. And Odion, as well." Joey said that he should get a life.

"Fool! Thanks to Odion's failure I now have a life! Of course, by failing, Odion proved one thing. Only a chosen few can control the Egyptian God cards." He looked at Seto and said that he's one of them.

"I'm sick and tired of hearing these Egyptian Fairy Tales. I control Obelisk the Tourmentor because I'm a Master Duelist."

"Don't deny your ancient past. You'll find you couldn't escape your five thousand year old memories. But you'll learn in good time, Kaiba. Your role in this game runs much deeper than you could imagine. But that won't matter once I take over. And the battle for the Pharaoh's power, along with his Apprentice, will begin right now!"


	9. The Battle Begins

I can't believe that I got this far! It's a surprise on how far I made it. I know you all want to see Yume's monster side in action, but you have to wait! I'll bring it in once I know the time's right.

* * *

With Odion unconscious, the tournament's still going on. Even though Joey wanted Marik disqualified for having a fake name, Seto said that the tournament's about skill and not names.

So, the tournament continued. Mai was picked for round three, but she left before her opponent was picked, which happened to be unfortunate, because her opponent is Marik. Everyone was up except for Marik, who showed up seconds after Seto asked where Marik is.

The platform got elevated, both duelists got their decks ready, drew their respective hands, and the duel started with Mai drawing an extra one for going first.

"Dunames Dark Witch in Attack Mode!" Her angel in dress armor showed up. (ATK/DEF Points: 1800/1050.) "Take it away, Sweetheart!"

Marik drew his card. "I'll start with my Revival Jam in Defense Mode." His slime showed up. "Then play my Magic card known as Jam Breeding Machine." His machine showed up. "This monster-producing machine will create one Slime Token for me with every passing turn. So I suggest attacking me now before my slime creatures far outnumber you!"

 _I know this strategy all too well! I bet he has Winged Dragon of Ra in his hand as well as Jam Defender! If that's true, then he'll be able to summon Ra without any problems from Mai. I've_ _got_ _to warn her!_

Yume turned to Mai. "Mai! Be careful! He'll be-"

"Shut up, Yume!" She said sharply to her. "I'm doing this on my own."

"Mai, you must know that you might be-"

"Yume, I know you're trying to look out for me, but I can do this without you." Yume quieted down, but told Mai to be careful of Revival Jam. "I know what I'm doing, Yume."

Yume just looked down, but felt something on her back. She looked behind, but she found no one. She then turned to Joey. "Hey, Joey." He turned to her. "I'll be right back!" He nodded and she ran off while the duel continued.

Marik chuckled. "Do it yourself, eh? Those are brave words from someone with no idea what they're up against!"

"Clam it, Marik! I know exactly what I'm up against, and exactly what I'm gonna do to beat you as well!"

"Then why do I see such fear in your eyes?! Our battle has only just begun, and already you doubt yourself!"

"Wrong again, Marik! Dark Witch, attack his Revival Jam with spellbinding flux!" Her witch released a torrent of energy on Marik's slime, but the slime came back, shocking Mai.

"Revival Jam," Marik explained, "is able to regenerate itself whenever it's attacked." Mai said she didn't know about it. "That doesn't surprise me. Only one knew about it and you turned her down!" Mai gasped, as he's referring to Yume.

Marik drew his card, then played Pot of Greed, which lets him draw two cards. "Have you realized that this duel is far more than you can handle? Then observe as my Jam Breeding Machine creates the first of many Slime Tokens!" One got created, with equal 500 Points each.

"Then I play one card facedown to render your attacks useless!" He placed it down, and a face down showed up on Marik's side.

Mai drew her next card unfathomed. "You think you're so tough? Well watch as I play my Magic card known as Harpie's Feather Duster! This handy Magic card destroys every single one of your Trap and Magic cards!" A tornado formed up and blew away Marik's face down along with Jam Breeding Machine.

"I saw through your dirty plan, Marik, so I swept it right up! Dark Witch, the coast is clear! Wipe out that Slime Token with spellbinding flux!" Her witch released the same amount of power, this time destroying the Slime Token and sending his Life Points down to 2700. "And I'll complete my turn with one more face down."

Marik drew his card, then summoned Melchid the 4-Face Beast. "And then, I'll sacrifice both my monsters to summon the Masked Beast Des Gardius!" His beast showed up. "Now, ATTACK HER DARK WITCH!" It started charging, but Mai had other plans.

"I activate my Trap known as Mirror Wall!" A crystal wall showed up just in time as Des Gardius attacked its own reflection. "It attacks your beast with its own reflection, cutting it's Attack Points in half!" Des Gardius dropped to 1650.

"Dark Witch, finish off that Masked Beast! SPELLBINDING FLUX!" Power was released yet again as Des Gardius got destroyed with Marik's Life Points dropping again to 2550. But in exchange for getting destroyed, Marik seized control of her Dark Witch.

"Not only do I get Mask of Remnants and reshuffle my deck, but it lets me take control of your Dark Witch. I'll then play the Magic card Remove Trap to dispose of your Trap!" Mirror Wall got destroyed as Mai's left wide open.

Then she drew her card. "You may have gotten a few lucky shots, Marik, but that's over, as things are about to change!"

"Much more than you know, Mai." He took out his Millennium Rod and pointed it at Mai, indicating that he's going to have this dual to be finished in the home of Duel Monsters: The Shadow Realm. "Let the shadow game begin!"

He laughed as shadows enveloped the place. "This is not part of the game, Marik! What's going on?!"

While that amount of dueling was going on, Yume decided to head to her room ever since she felt that poke on her back. She thought that something was wrong since nobody was there.

Once she got to her door, she saw Ishizu. "Oh! Hello, Ishizu." She nodded, then asked how she knew her. "Yami talked to me about her trip with Joey. She said that you met her and said that she was the Pharaoh's Apprentice."

"That's all true, Yume. Now tell me: Did you felt pain somewhere on your body?" She explained that she felt a poke on her back, even though no one paid attention to it. "It's best if you see it for yourself, Yume. But you'd better be quick about it, because Mai is starting to lose her mind, literally."

"Oh no, Ishizu! I hope I make it in time!" She scanned to gain entrance to her room and she got in. Once the door closed, she immediately put the puzzle where she could keep a watch on and took off her jacket.

She still felt the pain, so she decided to have her shirt off. (s/n She _is_ supposed to be the same age as Yugi, so it's either 17 or 18.) She tried to see what's behind her, but can't see any of it.

' _Something on your mind, Yume?'_ She looked and saw Yami there, watching her. _'I hope it's not a dance!'_

' _Yami, I need you to look at my back and tell me what you see!'_ She agreed and looked. Then she gasped at what she saw.

' _You have… very small wings on your back, Yume.'_

' _Wings? I bet you're just saying that!'_

' _I'm serious, Yume! Look at a mirror with your back turned to it.'_ Yume found a mirror and did so. She saw that Yami was right: she _does_ have small wings on her back.

' _How did I get them?!'_

' _I'm not sure myself, Yume. Perhaps you need to talk to your parents about it.'_ Yume agreed, grabbed the puzzle, then thought of both her parents: Yugi and Dark Magician Girl. Then the puzzle started glowing.

~Shadow Realm~

She opened her eyes and see she was in the Shadow Realm. She looked around and saw her parents. She quickly came over to them and they turned to her.

"Yume!" Dark Magician Girl said surprisingly. "I'm surprised to see you. Usually, we have to call _you_ over to us."

"Because this time it's important to me!" She told them about the wings on her back, and turned around to show them, to which they both just looked at them.

"Yume. We actually expected that. Those wings are part of your monster half. It just didn't have time to start it."

"Then why am I feeling them now instead of the other times?! Shouldn't I have known about them?"

"They needed time to grow, Yume. By the time you faced Pegasus, we heard that you would use your monster side to battle him. If you had done that, then you would've been unstable with your powers."

"Then… how is it possible for these wings to start growing now?"

"The time they needed is dependant on the damage you took to your Life Points in _all_ your duels." Yume looked through her memories of all the battle damage she took: Kaiba, Weavil, Mako, Bakura, Mai, Pegasus, Bandit Keith, the Rare Hunters, even Joey!

She heeded what Yugi said and realized that, while she takes damage from her Life Points, they weren't intense on pain because her monster side was using some of it to charge. "I understand, Dad. The damage I take is that some were involved with my monster-half. But please tell me: what's this about my monster-half?"

"I'm afraid we can't keep the truth away from you." Dark Magician Girl said. "Yume, you're monster side is known for, and when equipped right, can be an Egyptian God bane."

"So… if I equip it right, I could destroy Egyptian God monsters?" She nodded. "Right. So… what's my monster half?"

"We'll be giving you clues on it." Yugi said. "For now, take this!" He handed her a card and she looked at it. "It's called Talons of the Bane. If you equip it with the right monster, they can destroy Egyptian Gods, despite how weak they are."

"I understand now."

"You need to get to Mai and quickly!" She nodded. "But before you leave, know this: You'll understand how to control the monster side within you, but you'll need it to end this threat. You don't have much time!" She nodded when the puzzle glowed.

~Kaiba Craft 3, Mai VS Marik~

Once she was back from the Shadow Realm, she put her shirt back on with her jacket, then rushed to the top of Kaiba Craft 3 with the Puzzle, hoping she's not too late.

When she showed up, she saw a giant orb on Mai's side, and Marik has Holding Arms on his side. "Hey, guys!" They turned to her. "What'd I miss? Also, what's with that orb?"

"That orb contains the Winged Dragon of Ra, which Mai took from Marik's deck. She played Cyber Harpie, then Graceful Charity."

"How would that summon The Winged Dragon of Ra? She would need monsters in order to summon it."

"That's because, when she played Graceful Charity, she managed to draw Elegant Egotist, which she used and sacrificed all three of her Cyber Harpies and summoned it, but it was a sphere."

"There has to be a way to unlock it, though."

"Oh, there is, Yume!" She turned and see Marik looking at her. "Only individuals with the knowledge of the ancient scriptures can wield the power of Ra!"

"You're just jealous, Marik. Because you lost your Egyptian God card to a better duelist, and I'm gonna use it to knock you out of the finals, Bud! Your Winged Dragon answers to me now!"

"Then why don't you try to read the ancient text written on the bottom of the card?" Mai looked down and see the text, asking what it is. "That is the ancient chant used to call upon the hidden powers of The Winged Dragon of Ra!" He laughed.

"Why don't you try reading the chant? Or perhaps you're in need of a lesson in the ancient Egyptian scriptures, my dear." Mai realized that he's got her trapped.

"Why don't _I_ read the chant and regain control of it! You'll never decipher the ancient words by just staring at it! It's written in a special form of hieroglyphic script used only by high-ranking individuals in Egypt. And I doubt that you fit in that category. However, my family does! They guard the Pharaoh's tomb along with his Apprentice. I bet Kaiba would read it."

Seto then broke his concentration when he said that. "What's that mean, Marik?"

"I'd like to rephrase that: Several people on this vessel can trace their history back to ancient egypt, to a time where sorcerers and kings waged great wars! Back then, the power of the shadows was everywhere, and the world feared those that controlled it!"

"I don't need a history lesson to learn how to control the actions of my Duel Monsters!"

"Maximillion Pegasus certainly did, and not even he knew how to decipher the ancient text when he created the card. But he knew that in ancient times, The Winged Dragon of Ra would only obey those who chanted the words. So, Pegasus printed the words in an ink that can only be seen when the monster is summoned."

 _Marik knew all along,_ Mai thought, _that I'd never be able to use that card!_

"I'll ask you one more time: Are you going to read the ancient chant, or shall I release The Winged Dragon of Ra? This is your last chance, foolish girl! Show me how you can control an Egyptian God!" He laughed, but Mai told him to suck it up.

"I don't believe this!" Yume said. _Not only does Mai have no other monsters on the field, but when Marik gains control of it, she's defenseless! I might've known for a fact that Marik planned it this whole time. I bet it was near the bottom of his deck just so Mai could take it._

"Are you going to recite the ancient scripture or not? Because time is running out! So, make your move! Unless you're willing to admit defeat! Remember that you have no monsters on the field to protect you. And that means I can use my Egyptian God card to attack your Life Points directly! So prepare to lose and live an eternity of loneliness and despair!"

 _I don't think there's a way for Mai to read the ancient scripture. It seems like she wasn't meant to hold it. But Marik said that some people on this blimp can wield The Winged Dragon of Ra. I know that it must be me and Marik, but_ _Kaiba_ _as well?!_

She saw Mai place down a face down and ended her turn, unable to read the ancient text. _Gravity Bind will protect me. Once activated, it stops the attack of any powerful monster, so whether Marik uses his Holding Arms or awakens the Winged Dragon, I'll be ready!_

Marik drew his card, then summoned Holding Legs. "Sorry about your face down, my dear, but it has to go! When summoned, Holding Legs sends every Magic and Trap card on the field back into the player's hands! And when played alongside Holding Arms, this card has another Special Ability: it calls forth the Sacred Stone of Ujat!"

A stone appeared behind Mai. She looked behind and screamed out while Marik was laughing. "And with no monsters, I'm able to attack your Life Points directly! So be prepared to lose everything right now! Go, Holding Arms and Holding Legs! SEIZE HER!" Both of them clamped on Mai's arms and legs as she struggled to try and break free.

"Comfortable? Well, the worst is yet to come!" Both the Holders got Mai onto the stone, to which she can't do anything. Mai demanded about it being a hologram. "I never said it was a hologram! You and I are playing a shadow game, or don't you remember?"

' _Yume! I know what's going to happen. I'll be taking over for now.'_

' _Please, stay safe, Yami.'_ Yume's puzzle glowed as she switched places with Yami. And just in time to see Mai's Life Points drop to 800. "I had enough, Marik!"

Marik turned to see Yami. "I don't need you interfering my shadow game. You and I will duel soon enough, Pharaoh's Apprentice, and things are about to get interesting here. For it's time to awaken The Winged Dragon of Ra by reciting the ancient chant and reclaiming my great beast! So I can finish this duel once and for all!" He faced the sphere and started chanting.

" _Great beast of the sky, please hear me cry. Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight._ " Joey looked at the orb and told everyone to look at it.

"The chant is what's needed," Yami said, "to awaken The Winged Dragon of Ra and reveal its power. The beast will belong to him again!" The Winged Dragon of Ra started transforming while Marik continued chanting.

" _Envelop the deserts with your glow and cast your rage upon my foe! Unlock your powers from deep within so that together we may win. Appear in this Shadow Game as I call your name! WINGED DRAGON OF RA!_ " The beast's transformation was complete and let out a roar. "Behold my great beast! The most powerful of _all_ Egyptian God Monsters!"

Everyone stared at it. "It's time now to end this duel!" He laughed as The Winged Dragon of Ra has 5400 ATK Points. _This is it. It's over. Marik's Winged Dragon of Ra has more than enough Attack Points to wipe out the rest of Mai's Life Points._

"Such a pity it has to end like this, my dear. Your mind is a mere shadow of its former self, and it's growing even dimmer. And chained to that stone, you can't reach your deck. As soon as my monster attacks, your world will crumble!"

"That's enough, Marik!" Yami shouted out. "Leave Mai alone! Your grudge is against _me_ , not her!"

"That's true, Pharaoh's Apprentice, but I'm just having a little fun up here. There's nothing I like more than toying with someone's mind!" Yami growled out his name.

"Don't worry, we'll face each other soon. It's something I've been waiting for since my family insisted I bare the ancient scriptures on my back, cursed to carry the secret of the Pharaoh's power along with his Apprentice's until they return!"

"The Pharaoh's secret, along with his Apprentice?"

"And although this duty has brought great honor to the Ishtar name, it has brought me nothing but great suffering and despair. For generations, my family has waited hopelessly for the Pharaoh and his Apprentice to return."

He then laughed. "Except for me! Serving the ancient Pharaoh and his Apprentice is a game for fools! Giving up my life just to play servant to a five-thousand-year-old king, when all along I had the key to his great power? I shall become the king!"

' _That secret within Marik's back,'_ Yume told Yami, _'has to be a key somehow, right? I mean, if he holds it, then we should know what it is!'_

' _Easier said than done, Yume. The only way to find out is to beat him in a duel.'_

"I knew I was destined for greatness. I just need to collect all the right pieces so I can put together my destiny!"

"This madness will end now, Marik! You won't get the puzzle and you never will!" But Marik just laughed at Yami.

"The madness has just begun! Tormenting your little friend's mind up here is merely practice! For soon you shall suffer," He then laughed, "while the world finally cowers in fear before me! This shadow game is over!" He laughed some more, then faced Mai.

"The time has come to trap your mind in the shadows forever!" Joey couldn't handle it and decided to get on the platform and run towards Mai. Yami saw what's going to happen. "Winged Dragon of Ra, DIRECT ATTACK!"

Ra roared and charged up for a blast of energy when Joey got in front of Mai and tried to talk to her. And with some convincing about his freaky dream, Mai now remembers him. He tries to get her free, but to no avail, because The Winged Dragon of Ra is fully charged.

"NOW, Winged Dragon of Ra, DESTROY THEM BOTH!" Ra released the energy on them both. But before the energy could reach them, Yami quickly got up on the platform and stood in line of fire and spread her arms out.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" The energy's hitting her hard as she's grunting out in pain. Mai and Joey saw her and was worried for Yume. "These dark shadow powers will never penetrate me! I will shield everyone from your evil!"

Marik just laughed. "I doubt it! Nothing can withstand the unstoppable force of the greatest creature to ever walk the Earth, The Winged Dragon of Ra! All 3 of you are finished!" But he spoke too soon because Ra's energy ran out on Yami as she got down.

' _Yami, you need to get better! I'm taking over!'_ She agreed and they switched. Yume got back up and faced Marik. But of course she passed out because Yami's exhaustion went to her as she blacked out.

* * *

a/n That's all I'll do for now on this on! Next is the last duel for Season 2! Hope you enjoyed this. If you want to, you could review and tell me how it's going.


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